Benin were left frustrated by their 1-0 defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday after a late handball in the penalty area could not be reviewed due to a VAR malfunction. Real Betis forward Cedric Bakambu thought he had doubled DRC’s lead early in the second half, but after a lengthy VAR review his close-range header was ruled out for offside in the build-up. Main de Chancel Mbemba non sifflée… et une VAR hors service ❌Erreur d’arbitrage ou décision logique ? Officials later acknowledged that the incident could not be checked due to VAR malfunctioning, leaving the Benin camp furious. ‘We witnessed a very good football match that did not deserve a loser,’ Benin head coach Gernot Rohr told journalists after the defeat.

Source: Daily Mail December 24, 2025 18:32 UTC