'Absolute madness' - Callaghan on red card decision

Former captain Marissa Callaghan said that Turkey striker Busem Seker “had to be sent off” after she controversially handled the ball before later scoring the winner in their 2-1 victory over Northern Ireland.

Michael McArdle’s side were trailing 1-0 in the closing stages of a quiet first half in Istanbul when the game sparked to life as Seker handled Fi Morgan’s goalbound effort on the line.

Referee Alexandra Collin quickly pointed to the spot and Northern Ireland expected a red card to follow, but the French official opted for a yellow, much to the frustration of the visitors and Callaghan, who was on co-commentary duties for the penultimate World Cup qualifier.

Their anger heightened just after the restart when Seker headed home Selen Altunkulak’s cross in what proved to be the winning goal which secured the crucial three points and second spot for Turkey in Group B2.

“She has to be sent off for that – she literally saved it with her hand,” Callaghan said on BBC iPlayer.

“It is a blatant handball, I think she thought she was in net for a second. That is a penalty all day.

“You can see the relief on her face [when she is shown a yellow card]. Absolute madness.”

‘I had this feeling that someone touched me’ – Seker

Speaking after the match, Seker said she had lost her balance in the build-up to the penalty incident and credited Turkey’s response after Megan Bell’s spot-kick.

The goal was the eighth the 27-year-old has scored for her country and means Turkey go into the final group game three points off group leaders Switzerland, who have a much superior goal difference.

“I haven’t watched the footage properly yet, I’ll go and have a look. I had this feeling that someone touched me, I lost my balance and I fell reflexively,” the Fenerbahce striker said.

“But I could be wrong, I don’t know and I’ll watch it now. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal. After they scored that goal, they gained a bit of confidence.

“We stayed calm. We believed we would score the second goal. In the end, we left home with three points.”