When Celtic sanctioned a loan move for Shin Yamada in January, the hope was that he would gain valuable first-team minutes and build his confidence away from the immense, unrelenting pressure of Parkhead.
Instead, Celtic’s summer signing’s latest outing for Preußen Münster turned into a deeply frustrating afternoon in Germany’s second-tier.
Preußen Münster’s 2-1 defeat to Hertha Berlin was also completely overshadowed by some of the most bizarre scenes witnessed in football this season when it comes to VAR.
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Shin Yamada hooked at half-time as Preußen Münster’s defeat to Hertha Berlin marred by VAR
This was Yamada’s first start for Münster following his move from Celtic in the winter, and he endured a tough 45 minutes in front of his home crowd.
The Japan star struggled to impose himself in the game before he was ruthlessly hooked at half-time with his relegation-struggling side losing 1-0.
Hertha’s opening goal came about in the most incredible of circumstances. A masked fan unplugged the VAR monitor on the sidelines when the on-field referee went over to check if the away team should have a penalty.
Referee Felix Bickel found that his screen was blank when he went over to check his call, and he wasn’t able to make a call himself.
Instead, the decision was left to the VAR official Katrin Rafalski, and he awarded Hertha a penalty, which they scored. Yamada’s side then went into the break losing, and he was taken off.
Crazy scenes, and you can bet your bottom dollar there are plenty more supporters who would want to do that in Scotland.
How Yamada rated against Hertha Berlin
For any young player looking to make an impact and catch the eye of the Celtic coaching staff back in Glasgow, an early substitution is a bitter pill to swallow for Yamada.
However, the forward’s disappointing exit quickly became a mere footnote in a match that descended into absolute chaos.
The big issue for Yamada is the fact that he is yet to score, and his move from Japan into European football is proving to be a nightmare so far.
- Minutes played: 45
- Total shots: 1
- Offsides: 1
- Key Passes: 1
- Accurate Passes: 2/2
- Touches: 9
- Unsuccessful touches: 2
- Possession lost: 3
- Progressive carries: 1
- Defensive contributions: 1
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