There was late drama in Adelaide United’s clash with Perth Glory on Friday night, when Adelaide were denied a penalty for a potential handball with the score locked at 2-2 in second-half stoppage time.
A chaotic sequence inside Adelaide’s penalty area might’ve led to the awarding of a penalty when the ball struck the hand of Glory midfielder Brandon O’Neill after an attempt on goal from Ryan Kitto – but referee Shaun Evans’ on-field decision was to allow play to continue.
There was no intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), as Glory held on to secure a point in a dramatic start to Round 6 of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Post-game, Adelaide United legends Robbie Cornthwaite and Bruce Djite joined host Scott Mackinnon on Network 10 to provide their instant reaction to the decision in the aftermath of the entertaining draw.
MATCH REPORT: Taggart strikes twice as Glory and Adelaide share the spoils in Friday-night thriller
“I dont know what a handball is anymore,” Djite said.
“It used to be when the ball hit your hand – now it depends if it was in a natural position, an unnatural position. Does he even have time to react with that ball so close to his foot?”
“I think that’s the sticking point there,” Cornthwaite replied.
“He was just so close to it, he didn’t really have time to react. I think when VAR first came in, even two years ago, that’s 100% a penalty.
“But I think they’ve not so much relaxed the rules, but there’s a bit of an understanding that Brandon O’Neill has got very little time to do anything, he’s not denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity or anything like that.
“Initially, I thought (penalty), but I think I’m comfortable with the decision on reflection.”
The decision not to award Adelaide a late penalty came at the end of a seesawing game at Coopers Stadium in which Perth Glory led 1-0, then trailed 2-1 before Perth captain Adam Taggart bagged his second of the night to secure a point for the visitors in the opening game of Round 6.
Watch all the highlights from Friday night’s thriller below.
