Spurs thought they had booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League this evening, but some late VAR drama meant that their fate in the competition is still very much in the balance.
Sporting Lisbon took the lead in the first half of the game, with Tottenham academy product Marcus Edwards giving them the lead with an excellent long range strike.
Marcus Edwards bags on his return to north London!! 🙌
The former Spurs youth product has scored a screamer to put Sporting 1-0 up! 💫#UCL pic.twitter.com/IluJUJceCY— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 26, 2022
The visitors were much the better side in the opening half, with Spurs putting in a very lethargic display.
They improved somewhat after the interval, eventually getting back onto level terms in the 8oth minute thanks to a header from Rodrigo Bentancur.
From here, they pushed for the winner. They thought they had got it as well, only for the goal to be ruled out after a lengthy VAR check.
Antonio Conte sent off for protesting VAR decision
Harry Kane thought he had won it for his team deep into injury time, reacting quickest to a dropping ball in the box to steer home with an impressive finish.
However, a VAR check was soon carried out to check for a potential offside. Kane's foot seemed to be just offside, but the issue was whether they were in the same phase of play after Emerson Royal's header deflected off a Sporting player and into his path.
After a review that lasted around three minutes the goal was eventually chalked off, much to Antonio Conte's dismay. Having initially sprinted down the touchline to celebrate the goal, he would soon be sent off for remonstrating with the official.
You can watch the incident below.
Harry Kane came so close to securing his side's place in the knockout stages with this goal...
...but VAR was having none of it!! 😬#UCL pic.twitter.com/q1Ekz5wvWB— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 26, 2022
Antonio Conte saw red once Harry Kane's goal was chalked off after a VAR review... pic.twitter.com/hEDvc4ZVmV
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 26, 2022
You can get a better look at Conte's actions during the BT Sport analysis of the incident.
"We're going into minute fractions here!" 🤏
🎙️ @seemajaswal gets the thoughts of @GlennHoddle, Pedro Mendes and Owen Hargreaves' on Spurs' controversial disallowed goal in the final minute...#UCL pic.twitter.com/UAhPPdcvbc— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 26, 2022
As mentioned above, Kane was certainly offside. Despite this, some felt the goal should have stood as they think the ball travelled backwards from the initial header.
That was the issue Eric Dier wanted to discuss with the referee after the game.
"It was offside..."
"But why?! Why?! The ball went backwards!"
Eric Dier is in disbelief! 😬#UCL pic.twitter.com/2BQaTwQ4u5— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 26, 2022
However, the direction of the ball does not actually matter according to the rules.
The way the ball moved is irrelevant. What actually counted was whether the man that received the pass was behind the ball, which Kane clearly was not.
It's a game of fine margins... #UCL pic.twitter.com/fTTx7FduA5
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 26, 2022
The officials were correct to rule it out.
Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Matt Doherty said the Spurs players were unsure as to whether the goal had been ruled out.
I think you can see from the celebrations we thought we had won it. I don't really know what happened at the end...
I thought if it went backwards and hit the defender it's a different phase of play? I don't know.
I'm going to have to go back and look at the rule book because I think there are a few of us in there that don't really have a club what happened.
Spurs will now have to go to Marseille in the final matchday and at point in Marseille in order to ensure their passage into the knockout rounds.
SEE ALSO: Football Fans Couldn't Get Over Darwin Nunez's Miss Against Ajax
