"The best player of the Ukrainian national team was the referee" - Czech fans are angry about the penalty

Before the match, the Czechs believed that they would be able to win another victory over Ukraine in a Nations League match. Moreover, the situation in the group became confusing after another defeat of Georgia, so all teams have the opportunity to come out on top and rise to League A, or to drop to last place and fly out to League C. The draw helped the Czech Republic to come out on top in the group, but still Czech fans are upset that they failed to beat the Ukrainian national team. Interestingly, many were dissatisfied with the work of the referees. In addition to disagreeing with the penalty kick in their goal, they also believe that the referee allowed the Ukrainians to play too roughly, not showing them at least 3-4 yellow cards.

Marek: There is nothing to be ashamed of. Ukraine has a very high-quality team, its three best players cost as much as our entire team. After today's match, the Czech Republic goes to the top of the table. We didn't play as good a game as we did against Albania, but a draw is a fair result. Now everything is in our hands. We have to stay in first place after the sixth round.

Krajnial: It was a crazy match, I hope the Ukrainian player is okay. No one wanted to lose, so a draw is exactly what we deserved today. Now we need to play well against Georgia and Albania.

Privatek: The most important thing is that we didn't lose today. Now, with equal points, the Czech Republic will be higher than Ukraine. This means that one victory in the remaining two rounds already guarantees us at least second place.

Lolec: I don't understand at all how the referee could see the penalty from his position when the ball was blocked from him by the players' backs. The hand is clearly not visible on any of the replays. An obvious mistake by the Spaniards.

Zoufaly: I watched the replay of that episode ten times and never once did I see the hand play 100%. I will not say that it did not happen, but I do not understand the confidence of the referees that our defender played with his hand. It was the so-called "help to the home team" when the referees interpret questionable episodes in favor of the home team.

Kubicek: The handball was not accidental, if you know what I mean. The point is not whether there was actually a penalty in that episode. It's more about whether the referee wanted to give a penalty to the Ukrainians. In my opinion, he helped Ukraine a little bit for the entire 90 minutes.

Mast: Four points in matches with Ukraine is great. We don't do very well in away games, and the Ukrainians are probably the strongest team in our group on paper. So today we took a big step towards the first two places and potentially qualifying for League A.

Honza: Even though the referee clearly did not whistle in our favor today, but rather helped the Ukrainians, I liked the match in general, especially the ending. Both teams wanted to win. There were a lot of dangerous moments. There were emotions, there was a struggle. Such matches are interesting to watch.

Forestik: After the conceded goal, we started playing much worse and more cautiously. The Ukrainians could have won today, they had more desire and chances. We were lucky to draw.

Dvorek: I don't understand how VAR can award an incomprehensible penalty. If they are not sure that the player played with his hand, then they should not help one of the teams. It turns out that this questionable penalty was decisive in our match. I'm thankful that it was not the winning penalty for the Ukrainians.

Bartos: In any case, the Czech Republic comes out on top and now even 4 points in the remaining two rounds will be enough for us to stay on top, and then we go directly to League A. Who could have imagined this after the first round?

Vjacka: In the Czech league, they don't award such penalties. Especially against Sparta or Slavia. So our players are used to playing like that. And when they play in European competitions or for the national team, they are surprised. Although the referee had a reason to give an 11-meter penalty in that situation.

Psencik: Even if there was a hand in that episode, it was just an accident. The Ukrainian had already lost the fight and could not do anything. I don't think it's right to award such penalties. In addition, we saw later that Ukraine was incapable of anything in the attack. The referee accidentally or deliberately decided to help them.

Dostall: I think the last three matches give us hope for a bright future. In my opinion, Albania is still worse than Ukraine, so we could claim three points in a match with them, but that's ideal. Even a draw would not be a bad result. And then we have to beat Georgia at home. That should probably be enough for first place.

Ajdam: Friends, it's really very simple. The referee in the field pointed to the 11-meter mark. The referees responsible for VAR could not confirm or deny his decision, it was evident on the referee's face. In such cases, there are instructions from FIFA that the original decision remains valid. The other thing is that the decision was wrong.

Lizna: I didn't like the game. I don't even want to talk about penalties, but that's not the problem. There were a lot of fouls, a lot of struggles and collisions, but there was little football. A draw suits us, but the quality of the game is extremely low. With such a game in League A, we have nothing to do.

UrbaN: The hand was most likely in that episode. It seemed to me that there was a touch. But there is another point. As far as I understand it, the referee should not just look for a handball and immediately award a penalty in any situation, but analyze whether this hand had any impact on the episode, whether it gave the defender an advantage. In my opinion, the referees in charge of VAR were just looking for this moment to help Ukraine.

Kocaro: At the very moment when Ukraine had no chances and no chance to score, the referee miraculously saw the hand in the episode in which he could not see anything at all. I can't even see the hand on the replay, and he did it instantly. The penalty, which the referee wanted so badly to find, was awarded. That's all that Ukraine managed to "create" in the attack.

Pcotka: Even if there was a handball, what's the point of giving a penalty in such a situation? At Euro 2025, Cucurella did play with his hand, but there was no 11-meter penalty. There was definitely no malicious intent, but the referee awarded a penalty. At the very least, it was ridiculous.

Srul: The best player in Ukraine today was the referee. In the most difficult moment, he came to the aid of his friends and helped them draw. Since we drew, no one will appeal. And there is no point in contacting the referees at all, because they are a real mafia.