Conference League – Wadji’s lesson: he signs his hand and then repents

It goes back in time in the Conference League, where technology and Var will only be present in the final. An attacker scores with his hand without the referee noticing, only to regret it. A goal, that of the Senegalese Ibrahima Wadji, who in any case would not have shifted the balance of the playoff match between his team, Qarabag, and Marseille, already ahead of a goal (he will win 3-0) at the time of the match. episode and that will pass to the second round strong even of the 3-1 of the first leg.

fair play

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We just entered the 34th minute when Wadji, 26, jumped on Bayramov’s cross from the left, but too high to head. It is a matter of a moment: he realizes that he has arrived before Mandanda, the opposing goalkeeper, and instinctively extends his hand. If the Polish referee Frankowski points to the circle in the midfield, everyone on the pitch is protesting and in the stands people whistle. Three minutes full of arguments without the possibility for the referee to review the action. Wadji himself, then, to clarify what happened and to cancel the goal, convinced to “confess” by the coach Gurban Gourbanov, after a confrontation with Guendouzi of Marseille, and by his own captain, the Russian Maksim Medvedev.

Life lesson

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“I had no hesitation, it was an unacceptable episode” the comment of the Azerbaijani coach, also applauded by his colleague Jorge Sampaoli: “Gourbanov has shown his humanity, only a good person could make this decision. It was a life lesson because they weren’t obliged to do it, I don’t know if I would have been able to ”. Finally, Wadji also told Rmc Sport a background of the dialogue with Guendouzi. “He told me: brother you have to tell the truth, you are a Muslim. God will punish you if you lie ”.