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Australian viewers were up in arms after Matildas superstar Sam Kerr was denied a seemingly obvious penalty during a controversial 4-2 group stage loss to Sweden at the Tokyo Olympics.
Kerr had already scored a header for her side when she appeared to be tripped by Swedish defender Hanna Glas in the first half with the score level at 1-1.
She went down just metres away from the goal but Brazillian referee Edina Alves dismissed calls for a penalty and then called for a video review.
Kerr’s appeal was denied and the decision not to give the penalty was confirmed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Australian Olympic fans were up in arms after Sweden’s controversial win over the Matildas which saw superstar Sam Kerr denied a penalty
Kerr had already put away a sensational header for the Aussie side when she appeared to be tripped by Swedish defender Hanna Glas during the first half with the score level at 1-1
Aussies watching on from home were outraged at the decision not to award Kerr a penalty
Many said Kerr should have been given the penalty which could have resulted in her scoring a hattrick
Sweden went on to take the win 4-2 despite Kerr netting another a header from teammate Caitlin Foord.
The decision not to give the penalty denied Kerr the chance to score her first hat-trick of the tournament.
‘Sam Kerr robbed of a clear penalty there,’ one fan tweeted.
‘That is about as obvious as it gets, is the ref and VAR on another planet?’ another outraged fan asked.
‘Sam Kerr just had her right foot kicked and apparently that’s allowed? Cool. Atrocious refereeing,’ said one.
‘Sam Kerr fully got pushed over and nothing was called!’ tweeted one fed up fan.
Kerr and her teammates are seen celebrating after one of her goals during the match against Sweden on Saturday night
Kerr was later given another chance to put the ball away from the penalty spot but Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl was too good and stopped Kerr’s chances of getting her hattrick and again saved another shot at goal from the Australian captain.
Sweden earlier shocked soccers fans around the world after defeating the United States’ top-ranked team 3-0.
The Matildas are not out of the finals yet and will next face off against powerhouse Team USA on Tuesday.
Source: Daily Mail
