Article by Bogdan Fechită, Daniel Grigore – Published Monday, January 26, 2026 21:05 / Updated Monday, January 26, 2026 21:13
Sebastian Colțescu awarded a penalty for Rapid in the 40th minute the match from Aradjudging that Pospelov committed a foul in his own box, although he was warned by the VAR room that the phase was questionable.
Leading in Arad from the 19th minute, Rapid equalized before the break, in the 43rd minute, from a penalty awarded in the 40th minute and confirmed 3 minutes later, after referee Sebastian Colțescu reviewed the phase on the monitor on the edge of the field.
Christensen's goalbound ball hit Pospelov in the right palm as he tried to turn.
Rapid equalized in Arad from a penalty contested by UTA » The specialist's verdict
The circumstances of the situation prompted the referee from the VAR room, Iulian Dima, to call the “central” Sebastian Colțescu to the edge of the field, to review the phase.
Colțescu, who had whistled a penalty during the game, maintained his decision. Below, video of those sequences:
An arbitration specialist consulted by Gazetă found Colțescu right: “The correct decision is penalty. The ball was going towards the goal. The hand is perpendicular to the bodythe ball is clearly going towards the goal”.
The second time he did not whistle
Dobre converted the penalty and two minutes later found himself in a position to claim another penalty kick when the ball he shot was blocked by the same Pospelov with his left elbow!
Colțescu no longer judged that a penalty would be imposed. The specialist also approved his decision this time:
There was no 11-meter kick required here. Why? The ball was going towards the player's body. So if he wasn't hitting the left hand, he was hitting him in the body.
