Football Ferns goalkeeper Victoria Esson was on the wrong side of a controversial own goal call which cost her club side a valuable Champions League draw.
Esson was adjudged to have scored the own goal in the latter stages of the first-leg qualifying second round match with her Scottish club side Rangers against Portugal’s Benfica in Glasgow on Wednesday morning (NZ time).
The New Zealand netminder attempted to stop a miscued clearance from one of the Rangers players following a corner but bobbled her initial catch on the goal-line. She grabbed the ball on her second attempt but an assistant referee ruled that the ball had crossed the line.
That gave the visitors a 3-2 victory at Ibrox in Rangers’ first Champions League women’s game at home.
Esson had earlier pulled off a couple of excellent saves to keep her side in contention for at least a draw.
The second leg for Rangers will be in Lisbon next week, with the victors on aggregate progressing to the 16-team group stage.
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