West Ham news as Callum Marshall devastated after VAR agony in Euro 2024 qualifier
West Ham youngster Callum Marshall was left devastated by a VAR decision to rule out his goal for Northern Ireland against Denmark on Friday evening in the Euro 2024 qualifier in Copenhagen, as reported by BBC Sport NI.
The late strike would have secured a valuable point for Michael O’Neill’s side against the Danes as well as a landmark debut goal for Marshall but it was not to be, as Jonny Evans was deemed to be offside before his assist, after a long delay for the VAR call.
Northern Ireland have three points from three games so far in Group H and they will host Kazakhstan in Belfast on Monday evening.
The West Ham youngster reflected on the heartbreak of having the moment taken away from him. It was absolute ecstasy turned to agony in the space of a few minutes for the 18-year-old striker.
“The best couple minutes of my career so far, followed by one of the lowest points in my career,” he said.
Smallest of margins
The highs and lows of football can be summed up in the disallowed goal for Marshall and Northern Ireland, especially the controversy that surrounds the use of VAR.
What an introduction to the senior international team this would have been for the Hammers lad.
It was a clever, instinctive finish to put the ball in the net after Evans won his aerial duel. The Leicester City man was ruled offside by the smallest of margins in a decision that enraged O’Neill on the sidelines.
From a West Ham perspective, it is great to see the exposure and impact made by one of the stars of the FA Youth Cup victory, on the big stage despite his lack of prominence in the first team at the London Stadium.
Marshall is making steady progress in the Under 18 and U21 teams but due to the countries’ limited player pool, promising youngsters are often fast-tracked to the top and that is the case here.
He has given himself a great chance to feature at Windsor Park on Monday against Kazakhstan.