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"Verbal, who scored the winning goal, deserves to be sent off!"
Virgil van Dijk couldn't hide his anger after losing 0-1 to Lucas Verbal in the 41st minute of the second half in Tottenham's first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals on the 9th (Korea time). Immediately after the whistle, he visited referee Stuart Atwell and complained, and he was caught on the broadcast camera saying something directly to Verbal.
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VanDijk reiterated his decision mistake in a Sky Sports interview after the match in which he did not dismiss Berbal just before the winning goal. On this day, Verbal received a yellow card for a clumsy sliding tackle on Luis Diaz in the 23rd minute of the second half. Later, in the 40th minute of the second half, he made a tougher tackle on Kostas Tsimikas, but no yellow card came out in this scene. With accumulated warnings available, Liverpool away supporters, including Liverpool manager Arne Slot, were outraged, but the decision did not change and Verbal shook the net a minute later.
Liverpool captain Van Dijk said "It was a natural scene for a second yellow card to come outIt was a pretty obvious decision, and it was a coincidence that he scored the winning goal a minute later. But it can't be helped. I thought the referee made a mistake and said so. I don't think he made a mistake, but it was a very obvious one", he pointed out. "'Everyone on the sideline knew exactly that it was a yellow card.'"
VanDijk asserted that Verbal should have been sent off, but cautioned against using it as an excuse for defeat. 'The fact is Verbal should have been sent off'There was a lineman, there was a fourth assistant referee, there was VAR, there was a referee, but the second yellow card was not accepted," he repeatedly insisted. "But I'm not saying we lost because of this. But it was a very important moment in the game."
However, Van Dijk was confident of advancing to the final for the second consecutive time with a come-from-behind victory in the second round of the semifinals at home. "We definitely played against the attacking players, and it was hard to keep running. In good moments, I created good opportunities from time to time, but I couldn't create a very clear chance. Of course, it was enough chance to score a goal, but unfortunately, he couldn't score a goal."
"It may be an insincere expression, but it's half-time. I'm looking forward to the second half at Anfield."
Tottenham was completely defeated by Liverpool 3 to 6 two weeks ago, but succeeded in a scoreless victory by tying Mohamed Salah tightly with his persistent defense. Van Dijk also acknowledged this. "We could have done better, but this is also part of football. We all tried to play our best and created a one-on-one situation, a dangerous moment, but Tottenham showed a much better defense than they did two weeks ago."
"We will move forward. As I said, it's half time now. There are 90 more minutes left. I'm really looking forward to it,' he said, vowing to go to the unexpected final.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
