Sweden took an important 2-1 victory against Romania in the Nations League opener, but afterwards much of the talk was about Elliot Stroud, whose dream goal was ruled out.
After a lengthy video review, the referees detected a handball by Alexander Isak long before Stroud's shot, earlier in the attack. The goal would have been the Hull winger's first in the blue and yellow shirt.
“It’s getting ridiculous”
"It's clear that it's boring and a little sour," says a disappointed Stroud after the match.
Stroud continues to explain how the situation felt.
"It's a roller coaster of emotions. You're super happy when you see it go in and realize you've scored your first goal. Then you understand after a while. It's sad, but that's how it is in today's football," says Stroud.
The fact that it was an incident long before the final finish that was reviewed is something that makes the Swede question the decision.
How far back should you rewind? It becomes ridiculous when the play has been going on for a while and then you have to go back and check the smallest detail. Then you can rewind as far as you want and find errors almost everywhere, he says.
“Frustrating”
The player at the centre of the disallowed goal, Alexander Isak, does not understand the referee's decision at all.
I don't think it should be ruled out. Partly because it hits my foot first. Then I think it's too far back to go back to. It doesn't contribute to the goal. It feels a bit like it depends on who's sitting in the referee's room, says Isak and continues:
It's incredibly sad. It was a very nice goal. It's an undignified decision.
Alexander Isak is not happy with the handball rule overall.
The handball rule changes every now and then. As I understand it, I'm not involved in the goal, I don't even assist, the referee shouldn't go back that far. But the rule may have changed. It's different everywhere and it's frustrating, says Isak.
