Matt O'Riley admits the delays VAR checks are causing during games are hugely frustrating for Celtic.
On a weekend where the technology again caused huge controversy in the English Premier League, the Hoops were awarded a penalty at a key stage of their Scottish Cup win over St Mirren after the ball struck the hand of Richard Taylor 15 minutes from time at Celtic Park, which resulted in the Saints defender being sent off.
Celtic, who only had a 1-0 lead at the time, went on to win the game 5-1 with Reo Hatate scoring from the spot before Oh Hyeon-gyu and O'Riley found the net prior to a stunning last minute strike from Hatate, while Mark O'Hara netted from the spot for St Mirren.
READ MORE: McGregor hopes bigger Celtic support can help Hoops in 'tough' Scottish Cup tie
But Celtic's spot-kick was only given after it took Steven McLean a number of minutes to make a decision, with the referee speaking to the VAR official at length before walking off the pitch to watch a replay.
The decision itself, which came after Liel Abada's goalbound shot struck Taylor on the hand, was questioned by many pundits, but while former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan said the red card was 'extremely unfair', he insisted "in the words of the laws of the game that's got to happen".
O'Riley was only on the pitch less than ten minutes when the incident occurred and says it is taking far too long for decisions to be made, which he states "is not ideal" for Celtic with the way that they play.
He told The Irish Mirror: "It is frustrating. It takes a really long time. I don't know what the average time is but it must be over two or three minutes each time which for us is not ideal, especially the way we play and the momentum we have when we're constantly attacking teams, it gives them a breather as well.
"The way we're playing, we're trying to tire teams out so it's a bit frustrating in that sense but at the same time everyone has to deal with it."
The 22-year-old praised St Mirren for coming to Celtic Park and having a go at the league leaders, something which few teams have done this season.
He added: "They made it difficult for us to be fair. They really gave it a good go. Most teams just sit in the box and sit there for 90 minutes, but they gave it a go and I respect that. Luckily we broke them down as the game went on."
O'Riley netted for the first time in nine months during Saturday's victory and is hoping to follow up against Aberdeen, the club who he scored his first Celtic goal against over a year ago, as he aims to nail down a starting spot against Rangers in next weekend's Viaplay Cup final.
The midfielder was in attendance at a Celtic fan event in Belfast on Tuesday evening and is hoping to return to the city later this year with Denmark for their Euro 2024 qualifier with Northern Ireland.
O'Riley switched his international allegiance from England to the Danes last year. He has featured for their U21 side since, scoring against Turkey in a European Championship qualifier last summer, but has not yet been called up to the senior team.
And although the London native admits it's always an aim to get into Kasper Hjulmand's squad, he insists Celtic are his sole focus at the moment.
He stated: "It's always an aim but that only comes if I do well at Celtic so my sole focus is doing well there and I think the rest takes care of itself."
- Matt O'Riley was speaking at a JD Sports fans meet & greet in their Castle Place Store in Belfast on 14th February 2023. Shop the full Celtic collection online at JD HERE or in-store.
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