One major highpoint during Ghana vs Nigeria barren draw at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Friday night was the penalty call reversed by the referee after a handball by Ghana’s Iddrisu Baba in the 76th minute.
The Super Eagles were denied a chance to nick a game-winning goal when the ball hit the Mallorca midfielder from Oghenekaro Etebo’s effort.
Moroccan referee Redouane Jiyed was advised to check the VAR monitor on the side of the pitch and had to overturn his initial decision after spotting a foul by Kelechi Iheanacho on the Ghanaian prior to him handling the ball in the box.
Super Eagles legend Daniel Amokachi believes that it would have been a stonewall penalty if Iheanacho had not pushed Baba in the build-up and praised the referee for overturning his earlier decision.
The former Everton striker was on punditry duties for SuperSport alongside Austin Okocha and John Paintsil.
Amokachi said : “When the referee was called back to look at the monitor we knew it was going to be disallowed. That’s when I saw the trip.
“We saw the replay, the referee that went to see the monitor has a more better chance to see it.
“It was a penalty kick one hundred percent without the pull but when you look at it, a foul before the penalty kick, I think the referee got it spot on.”
Oghenekaro Etebo, who thought he had earned a penalty for Nigeria after coming off the bench, was yellow carded for protesting the referee’s decision to cancel the spot kick.
