Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says the women's game needs more respect in terms of officiating after a VAR decision went against her side in their Women's Champions League quarter-final first leg tie.
At the end of the first half, Veerle Buurman's goal was ruled out by the referee after she was deemed to have fouled Laia Codina, at the back post after the defender went down.
VAR checked the decision - which looked to be very soft - but stuck with the on-field decision. Chelsea were 2-0 down at the time, but as a crucial moment in the game, could have boosted the Blues for the second half.
It is not the first time Chelsea have been on the end of an ambiguous VAR decision in the Champions League this season, and the latest drew the ire of the Blues boss.
Bompastor said: "It's really frustrating. It's always more difficult to complain about the referees when you lose the game, but to be honest, it's not good enough.
"We need to really find solutions because when you are playing the quarter-final of the Champions League, you need to respect the women's game more, you need to respect the players more because they work hard every week to put a good performance on the pitch.
"The first goal is a goal. I don't see with VAR how you cannot allow that goal. It's a shame to be honest, so it is what it is. There's nothing we can control about that and we need to now focus on the next game."
When asked what the fourth official said to her when she asked about the decision, Bompastor replied: "Nothing, it's always the same.
"When you go to them and you ask them to check the situation and to make sure they made the right decision, they just always say 'we are checking', but they made the wrong decision and nothing changed.
"When a human makes a mistake, you can understand a little bit more but when there is the VAR, it's really difficult and it's not been the first time this season in Champions League.
"When we played Barcelona, we scored the goal with [Catarina] Macario and I think that goal was not offside. It changed a lot because if we had won that game in that moment, the story was different so I think they need to be better."
Bompastor said that while she is in favour of VAR - which is not yet available in the WSL - that something needs to be done to improve the current standard of officiating in the game.
"I think it's good and we need to have VAR in the women's game, it's for now maybe having the right people to check the situations and being able to make the right decision.
"Football is physical and there are duels in the games and I can't understand why the first one was not allowed when you check it.
"We deserve the best referees so if it has to be coming from the men's game, maybe. If it has to come from the women's game, then the best ones. We need to make that decision and we need to bring competence which is the most difficult.
Quizzed on whether, at a crucial moment in the game, a goal might have changed the eventual 3-1 first leg scoreline, Bompastor was less convinced.
She added: "It's difficult to say but it's for sure important because it was an important moment just before half-time… but it's really frustrating when you think you deserve that goal."
