MK Dons were denied a “clear goal” in their 1-1 draw against fellow League Two promotion contenders Wrexham, according to head coach Mike Williamson.
The most controversial moment of a fiery contest came after an hour when Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo appeared to fumble Joe Tomlinson’s shot over the line, with Dons captain Dean Lewington being sent off for his protests.
Williamson said: “I don’t know where to start with that, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.
“The fact that he was so close to the post indicated to everybody in the stadium that it’s a clear goal.
“The reaction of their team was to turn around, they all thought it was (a goal) and I think everybody did apart from the officials.
“I’m taken aback, and I’m really gutted for the boys because they did exactly what we asked them to do, they carried out everything very well and they deserved that.”
On Lewington’s red card, he added: “He had the same reaction as all of us, I think.
“I was so taken aback I probably could have said many things to the officials, which you’ve got to bite your tongue about, but we’ve got to dust ourselves off, pick the bones out and take a lot of positives.”
Wrexham, who are now one point clear of fourth-placed Crewe, went ahead after 22 minutes when Luke Young’s corner was headed in at the near post by James McClean.
It took just four minutes for MK Dons to equalise when Jack Payne played the ball through for Dan Kemp, who finished emphatically past Okonkwo.
The Arsenal loanee had pulled off a stunning save from Tomlinson’s 30-yard piledriver before the incident that led to Lewington’s red, while Will Boyle’s second yellow ensured both sides finished with 10 men.
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson said on the ‘ghost goal’: “I can’t see from where I was and it was not conclusive whether it’s crossed the line, or not.
“If the referee or the linesman is not sure, then they can’t give it. It was some game of football. I thought it was two good sides again.
“I was pleased with the early exchanges. We knew how they play, putting the ball at risk in their own third.
“Our pressing game was good, we got the goal, we looked really confident that we could go and score again but their goal, like goals do, gave them a lift, then Arthur’s had to make some good saves.
“In the second half we played really well. Then 11 v 10, we looked like we were going to score.
“Boyley’s sending-off has evened the game up numerically, which is a shame. It could have then gone either way.”
Dominican Republic 1-3 Spain: La Roja seal quarter-final progress with game to spare
Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena were on target as Spain beat 10-man Dominican Republic 3-1 to seal their place in the men's quarter-finals at the Olympic Games with a match to spare.
Miguel Gutierrez also struck for La Roja, who made it two wins from two in Group C at Stade de Bordeaux, where their opponents played over half of the game with 10 players following Edison Azcona's red card.
Santi Denia's side opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan at Parc des Princes on Wednesday, and the first goal of this contest was handed to them on a plate in the 24th minute.
Fermin ruthlessly pounced on Enrique Boesl's tame pass out of goal, with the Barcelona midfielder calmly slotting home.
The Dominican Republic levelled 13 minutes later through Angel Montes de Oca's free header, but they were reduced to 10 men just before half-time with Azcona dismissed for violent conduct after lashing out at Pau Cubarsi.
Spain capitalised on their numerical advantage through Alex Baena's deflected strike in the 55th minute before substitute Gutierrez sealed the points 15 minutes later by tapping into an empty net, with the goal eventually standing following a VAR review.
Data Debrief: La Roja roar into quarter-finals
Spain dominated large periods of the contest with 21 shots to their opponents' five and, playing the entire second half with an extra player, their superiority eventually told.
Silver medallists in Tokyo three years ago, La Roja have progressed from the group stage of consecutive Games for the first time since a run of three straight qualifications between 1992 and 2000.
Argentina 3-1 Iraq: Albiceleste bounce back from opening loss at Olympics
Argentina got their Group B campaign at the Olympics up and running with a 3-1 victory over Iraq, with Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernandez scoring.
Javier Mascherano's side made a losing start against Morocco on Wednesday, going down by a 2-1 scoreline in a chaotic match that featured almost 20 minutes of second-half stoppage time and a two-hour delay due to crowd trouble.
They bounced back against Iraq despite Aymen Hussein cancelling out Almada's opener, with Gondou and Fernandez on target in the second half in a deserved victory.
Argentina hit the front after 14 minutes as Julian Alvarez improvised to chest a deflected cross down to Almada, who lashed into the bottom-left corner on the volley.
But Iraq grew into the contest and got their reward five minutes into first-half stoppage time, Hussein getting across his marker to nod Ahmed Maknzi's cross into the far corner.
Argentina were in the ascendency throughout the second half, though, restoring their lead shortly after the hour mark. Iraq goalkeeper Hussein Hasan got caught under Kevin Zenon's cross as Gondou headed home at the far post.
They wrapped up the points when Fernandez scored the pick of the goals with five minutes remaining, the midfielder curling a left-footed shot into the top-left corner after clever play from Almada and Zenon.
The Albiceleste, Iraq and Morocco are now all level on three points with one game remaining, with Ukraine pointless ahead of facing the Atlas Lions later on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Almada pulls the strings
Almada was part of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad and attracted plenty of admiring glances from European clubs while with Atlanta United, only to join Botofogo for an MLS-record fee earlier this month.
The Brazilian giants have every right to be pleased with their purchase.
As well as firing in the opener on Saturday, Almada managed a game-high three chances created and 30 passes in the final third. A sumptuous backheel in the build-up to Fernandez's goal provided another glimpse of his quality.
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
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