Shabab Al Ahli were denied a place in the AFC Champions League Elite final after a farcical VAR controversy in stoppage time at the end of their semi-final.
The UAE champions lost 1-0 to Japan’s Machida Zelvia in Jeddah on Tuesday night but thought they at least had 30 more minutes extra-time to play for a place against Al Ahli in Saturday’s showpiece, after a stunning injury-time leveller for Guilherme Bala.
His thrilling strike, in the second minute of seven that were due to be added on for stoppages, was ruled out for the most arcane reason.
While Shabab Al Ahli’s players celebrated the equaliser, there was a delay while the video assistant referee checked for something.
It was not remotely obvious what. Then, after minutes spent looking at the monitor, it was deemed Shabab Al Ahli had restarted play, a long way earlier, with a throw in that had taken place a split second before a Machida substitution had been fully completed.
It felt like the most ludicrous reason to use technology to disallow a goal. Shabab Al Ahli were right to feel aggrieved.
Hamad Almeqbaali, their goalkeeper, was shown a red card as part of their angry reaction at the final whistle.
The decision provoked such anger that Australian Shaun Evans did not wait on the field to shake hands with the players, and had to be escorted away by security.
It was a remarkable end to what had, for so much of the night, been tepid fare.
The opener came out of nowhere. Neither side had made any moves of note before a mistake at the back presented the Japanese side with a goal.
In the 12th minute, a terribly under-hit backpass by Bogdan Planic, who was under no pressure, let in Yuki Soma.
The Machida forward could not fail to score, and he stroked it past Almeqbaali in the Shabab Al Ahli goal.
Planic had a first half he would want to erase from his memory for good. In just the second minute, he suffered an ankle injury. It required treatment and his further participation in the game looked unlikely.
He carried on, but might have wished he hadn’t, after his role in Soma’s goal. Even if he was feeling the effects of the injury, really there was no excuse.
He acknowledged as much, admitting his culpability to his teammates by patting his chest and saying, “My fault.”
And the bad times did not end there for the Serbian centre-back, either. He needed more treatment before the interval after being cleaned out by his own goalkeeper, Almeqbaali, when he came to claim a cross. When he was substituted on the hour, Planic looked disconsolate.
Nothing was falling for the Dubai side. The had an opening near the end of the first half that ended with Kauan Santos hitting the crossbar after a fast break started by Federico Cartabia.
Shortly after, Cartabia was harshly done to when he was adjudged to have fouled Soma in the box.
It was rightly overturned, when the VAR suggested Shaun Evans, the Australian referee, should consider overturning his decision.
Midway through the second half, Shabab Al Ahli finally had some joy, as Bala found the net with a header.
But even that was entirely short-lived. It was ruled out for offside, and a video review upheld the decision.
The UAE side were getting increasingly desperate, and Waleed Jumaa needed to show greater poise. The second-half substitute should have scored after a goalmouth skirmish, but bundled his close-range shot wide.
As they pushed for the elusive leveller, their passing became increasingly erratic.
Even Bala, always their best source of attacking impetus, was struggling. He made one promising run past the Machida backline, but slipped to the floor on his way through.
When all seemed lost, seven minutes of stoppage time flashed on the big-screen. It meant there was just enough time to hope for something special.
Inevitably, it was Bala who provided it. In the second minute of stoppage time, the Brazil-born winger jinked past two defenders, and rifled in a shot from distance.
It felt just what Shabab Al Ahli’s toils deserved, and yet they were soon to be so cruelly denied.
