Benin were left frustrated by their 1-0 defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday after a late handball in the penalty area could not be reviewed due to a VAR malfunction.
The two sides met in their opening Group D fixture at the Africa Cup of Nations, with Theo Bongonda’s early goal proving decisive after he capitalised on a defensive error by Benin’s Yohan Roche.
The Spartak Moscow winger beat Saturnin Allagbe with a composed finish after Roche ducked under a long ball from Arthur Masuaku, allowing Bongonda to guide a first-time volley into the bottom right-hand corner from 10 yards.
Real Betis forward Cedric Bakambu thought he had doubled DRC’s lead early in the second half, but after a lengthy VAR review his close-range header was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
Despite VAR being available for that incident, further problems plagued the system later in the half when DRC captain Chancel Mbemba appeared to use his arm to block a cross into the box.
The ball flies over Benin defender Olivier Verdon’s head before it appears to land on Democratic Republic of Congo captain Chancel Mbemba’s arm late on in the match
Replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball struck the former Newcastle defender’s arm or shoulder, while referee Abongile Tom was unable to review the incident on the monitor
Although television replays were inconclusive over whether the ball struck the former Newcastle United defender’s arm or shoulder, referee Abongile Tom was still unable to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Officials later acknowledged that the incident could not be checked due to VAR malfunctioning, leaving the Benin camp furious.
‘We witnessed a very good football match that did not deserve a loser,’ Benin head coach Gernot Rohr told journalists after the defeat. ‘My team made me proud.
‘We will now prepare well for the match against Botswana, with the advantage of having our suspended players back.’
Benin will look to get their AFCON campaign up and running on Saturday, with Botswana having lost their opening group game 3-0 to Senegal.
Meanwhile, VAR was operational again for Burkina Faso’s match against Equatorial Guinea, in which Equatorial Guinea’s Basilio Ndong was sent off for a raking challenge after his yellow card was upgraded to a red following a pitchside review.
