'Absolute madness' - Callaghan on red card decision

Former Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan has claimed that Turkish striker Busem Seker “should have been sent off” after a controversial hand before scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over her side. Michael McArdle's side were 1-0 down in the final minutes of a storyless first half in Istanbul when the game came to life as Seker handled Fi Morgan's attempted goal over the line. Referee Alexandra Collin quickly pointed to the penalty spot and Northern Ireland expected a red card afterwards, but the French official opted for a yellow, which left the visitors and Callaghan, who was in the role of co-commentator, very frustrated in this penultimate World Cup qualifier. Their displeasure increased soon after the restart when Seker headed home Selen Altunkulak's header to score the winning goal that secured the crucial three points and second place for Turkey in Group B2. "She has to be sent off for this, she literally saved it with her hand," Callaghan said on BBC iPlayer. "It's a clear hand, I think she thought she was in the goal for a second. It's a penalty every day. You can see the relief on her face [when she's shown the yellow card]. It's absolute madness. After the game, Seker said she lost her balance on the play that led to the penalty and praised Turkey's response after Megan Bell's goal. The goal was the eighth the 27-year-old striker has scored for her country and means Turkey go into the final group game three points behind group leaders Switzerland, who he has a much higher goal difference. "I haven't seen the images yet, I'll take a look. I had the feeling that someone touched me, I lost my balance and fell reflexively," said the Fenerbahçe striker. "But I could be wrong, I don't know and now I'll see. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal. After they scored, they gained some confidence. We remained calm. We believed we would score the second goal. In the end, we left home with three points.