The championship game of Australia’s top soccer league was mired in controversy Saturday by a software malfunction in the Hawkeye Video Assistant Referee system. Melbourne Victory defender James Donachie was visibly offsides on a free kick that immediately preceded teammate Kosta Barbarouses’ goal. The VAR review should have negated the goal, which proved to be the lone score as Melbourne prevailed 1-0 over the Newcastle Jets in the Hyundai A-League’s Grand Final.
Broadcast footage shows Donachie was offsides when Melbourne’s Leroy George took a longe-range free kick from the left side of the field in the ninth minute.