A series of key decisions going against his Brisbane Roar side has left coach Warren Moon fuming following their 2-1 A-League Men’s defeat by Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium.
Roar appeared to have taken a 2-1 lead on the hour in Adelaide on Saturday through Carlo Armiento, who scored direct from a corner.
But Kris Griffiths-Jones, on VAR duty, alerted referee Alex King to a possible foul on United keeper Joe Gauci.
The goal was eventually overturned with Joe Knowles judged to have impeded Gauci.
The Reds then went on to snatch the win with teenage substitute Nestory Irankunda scoring a stunner in the 82nd minute.
Moon was furious that Armiento’s goal was disallowed and said his side should also have been awarded a penalty in the first half when Henry Hore was brought down inside the box by Craig Goodwin. Instead, the Roar attacker was booked for diving.
“I was disappointed with a lot of decisions tonight if I am honest with you. I thought they got some pretty key decisions wrong in the game and that probably cost us,” he said.
“I think that’s a goal. I think every day of the week that’s a goal. I think if you slow the camera frame down, you can make it look like a foul if you want, fine.
“But if that’s a foul then we should have a penalty in the first half because there’s clearly contact on Henry Hore. Now, if that gets given a penalty that doesn’t get overturned.
“The only reason that doesn’t get looked at is because it’s a simulation and a yellow card so they can’t go and look back at it.
“If we’re giving free kicks now for goalkeepers who get to have gloves, two hands to go attack the ball, and he’s got clear sight of it, he’s flapped at it. I’m sorry but I don’t agree with it.”
Echoing Moon’s sentiments was his Reds’ counterpart, Carl Veart. The Reds coach offered an honest assessment, and questioned whether the contact on Gauci was significant enough for the goal to be overturned.
“I suppose you could say we got a little bit lucky tonight with that. I suppose it evens out of the course of the season, those sorts of decisions,” Veart said.
“There was contact and this is where I have a lot of disagreements with a lot of these decisions about contact in the box.
“We’re playing a contact sport – small amounts of contact doesn’t mean it’s a free kick.”
United had broken the deadlock through Louis D’Arrigo on 34 minutes after the Roar peppered Adelaide’s goal and created the better chances in the opening half-hour.
Brisbane then equalised almost immediately, with Knowles tucking away a dangerous Armiento corner at the front post to send the teams into the break level.
Following Armiento’s disallowed goal, Hore rattled the crossbar and Gauci was forced into a number of crucial saves before Irankunda stole the show.
“It wasn’t one of our better performances but we did enough I suppose to get the three points and that’s the main thing coming to the second part of the season,” Veart said.
“It’s just about making sure you get your points at home and that’s what we did tonight.”