'This is astonishing' - BBC commentator stunned by what happened in Rangers win v St Johnstone

Alasdair Lamont was amazed after Cyriel Dessers opened the scoring in Rangers’ 2-0 victory over St Johnstone on Saturday (17 August).

The 29-year-old scored his third goal of the season, having already notched against Dynamo Kyiv and Motherwell, but some controversy has arisen after the goal was checked by VAR.

The Saints players were outraged that the goal had been given, claiming that Dessers had committed a foul before hitting the back of the net, though the referee appeared to blow his whistle before that.

Speaking live via BBC Sportscene on Saturday (17 August, 7:03pm), Lamont said: “This is astonishing.

“In all honesty, I do not understand how the VAR check can take place if the whistle has gone before the ball is in the back of the net.”

Cyriel Dessers causes controversy in Rangers v St Johnstone

Referees are rarely popular figures in the world of football, and that is especially the case in Scotland. This situation will do nothing to boost their popularity amongst the fans.

While the decision to award the goal is the correct decision, with Dessers just being stronger than the centre-back, the fact that VAR intervened after the referee pre-emptively blew his whistle has caused widespread frustration.

It is totally understandable, with fans no longer knowing the rules of their beloved sport, and it is just one more way in which VAR adds confusion to the game.

On a more positive note, the Gers striker continues to impress in front of goal after scoring 22 goals in his first season in Scotland, now boosting his tally to 25 in 59 appearances.

While Dessers certainly has his haters at Ibrox, he has clearly taken the criticism on board and continues to fight for the club despite all the things aimed towards him and his style of play last term.

In other Rangers news, Robin Propper was slammed for a “dangerous” moment v St Johnstone in the Scottish League Cup.

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