Tony Docherty says he was not surprised by Antonio Portales’ spectacular finishing against Motherwell on Saturday, even though one of his goals was disallowed.

The Dark Blues lost 2-1 thanks to a late Tawanda Maswanhise header after leading 1-0.

Portales scored the opening goal, smashing an unstoppable volley into the top corner after 31 minutes.

And it appeared that he had pulled another rabbit out of the hat, this time with the other foot, only for VAR to detect an offside.

Docherty referred to the decision as a “disgrace” and cited it as a pivotal moment for his team’s loss of momentum.

Days later, his opinion has remained unchanged.

“My stance on it is still exactly what it was on Saturday and I’m still as angry about it,” he tweeted on Monday.

“It’s difficult; you’re trying not to affect the players, but ours were, and you’ve seen Motherwell’s as well.

“Every one of my players was stunned, to a man.

“It’s kind of human behaviour, and it’s difficult to accept because we should have gone in comfortably at halftime.

“We should have gone in with cheers, but instead the stadium booed the referee.”

“So the whole dynamic changes.”

‘Pick him up’

Docherty feels bad for Portales after seeing such a great strike called off.

But he insists it was not surprising that the Mexican proved so deadly.

“When we scouted him over in Mexico he scored a lot of goals,” according to Docherty.

“He has a lot of goals from set plays, so he’s got it. I also see it frequently in training.

“He’s a good footballer, and his technique for both strikes demonstrates that.

Antonio Portales celebrates wildly before VAR rules out his second goal against Motherwell. Image: Craig Foy/SNS.

“He is a well-liked member of the squad, as evidenced by the players’ reaction to his goal.”

“The entire stadium is cheering for him, and that is taken away from him.

“So it’s about lifting him up a little bit, because he thought he had scored two goals.

“The last three games, hopefully we’ll see him chip in with a few more.”

Right-back issues.

 

Dundee defender Jordan McGhee has missed the last two matches. Image: David Young/Shutterstock

Dundee are concerned about two injuries in the same position heading into the season’s final week.

Regular right-back option. Jordan McGhee has been sidelined with an Achilles injury since the defeat at Hibs last month.

Ethan Ingram, a fellow right-back, also missed the weekend’s game against Motherwell.

“Jordan is still nursing his Achilles.” He is still receiving treatment alongside Ethan Ingram at the moment,” Docherty said.

“Hopefully they’ll be available over the weekend.

“We’ll see how this week goes with them. They are both worth the physios right now.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a more accurate timeframe by the end of the week.

“The rest of them were all in.”