Was it desperation or delusion?
Many Celtic fans were so sure that Odsonne Edouard should have had a penalty in the first-half of Sunday’s Old Firm clash at Parkhead that they ‘forgot’ to make sure of the facts.
If the penalty was given, Celtic could have gone 2-0 ahead but it wasn’t given – rightly – and they didn’t.
Rangers rallied to get back into the game with Alfredo Morelos grabbing his first goal against Celtic – leading to the draw which was a fair result over the course of the game.
Celtic captain Scott Brown claimed in his post-match interview with Sky Sports that it was a ‘stonewall’ penalty – really?
🗣️"The first half we were exceptional and could have had three or four & were denied a penalty"
Celtic captain Scott Brown has his say on the 1-1 draw against Old Firm rivals Rangers.
📺Watch more reaction & analysis on Sky Sports pic.twitter.com/9iz19ultaU
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 21, 2021
“Once again, I have actually defended Willie Collum at times as he’s just a poor referee. But yesterday, he didn’t even see it. He was standing behind a Rangers player. He made a call and what he actually saw is what he didn’t really see.”
“And yesterday, for me it was blatant cheating.”
“Blatant cheating.”
“It wasn’t even a bad decision, it was a blatant cheat. For me it’s penalty kick.”
“You don’t need to make contact. The tackle was rash and uncontrolled. It’s a foul. It is a penalty kick.”
“Any other league in Europe and it’s given as a penalty”
The thoughts and feelings presented above were not supported by Celtic once the dust had settled as it was confirmed last night that they would not be appealing Edouard’s yellow card for simulation.
It was a dive and they have made a mockery of the wild claims that have been made.
The reaction from the French U21 international in real time said it all.
No contact was made by Rangers’ Borna Barisic, Edouard failed to strike the ball first time and instead, strangely decided to throw himself to the ground with a bulging net at his mercy.