According to BBC Sport NI, Callum Marshall, a teenage player for West Ham, was upset after a VAR decision disallowed his goal for Northern Ireland against Denmark in the Euro 2024 qualifying match on Friday night in Copenhagen.
Marshall’s historic debut goal and a crucial point for Michael O’Neill’s squad against the Danes would have been secured by the late strike, but it was not to be because Jonny Evans was ruled to have been offside prior to his pass after a protracted VAR review.
In Group H, Northern Ireland has three points after three games and will host Kazakhstan on Monday night in Belfast. The adolescent from West Ham reflected on the disappointment of missing the chance. It was total exhilaration for the 18-year-old attacker until it rapidly turned into anguish.
It was “the best couple of minutes of my career so far, followed by one of the lowest points in my career,” he said. The goal that was disallowed for Marshall and Northern Ireland perfectly encapsulates the highs and lows of sport, especially the debate surrounding the usage of VAR.
Even Smallest Of Margins Do Matter
There was a long and nervous wait in the Parken Stadium before the 18-year-old’s volley was reversed because Jonny Evans had been called as offside on an earlier free-kick. The Danes won 1-0 and currently top Group H thanks to Jonas Wind’s goal towards the start of the second quarter. Marshall, at 18, excelled after joining the London club from Irish Premiership side Linfield and scored in the Hammers’ Youth Cup victory over Arsenal in April.
He then earned his first professional contract with West Ham in November. What a grand entrance for the young Hammers player into the senior international team. Evans won the aerial duel, and his instinctive finish to put the ball in the net sealed the victory. O’Neill became incensed by the ruling on the sidelines after the Leicester City player was narrowly found to be offside.
In spite of his lack of significance in the first squad at the London Stadium, it is fantastic from a West Ham standpoint to watch the exposure and effect made by one of the stars of the FA Youth Cup win on the big stage. For the Under 18 and Under 21 teams, Marshall is becoming better all the time, but because to the country’s limited player pool, gifted young players might move fast, as is the case in this instance.
His likelihood of playing Monday at Windsor Park against Kazakhstan has significantly improved. They began with a victory away to San Marino after suffering a discouraging home loss to Finland by a score of 1-0, therefore they will enter that encounter still in fifth place in the group.
