WATCH: Vancouver Whitecaps players rage after referee knocks over midfielder allowing LAFC to race upfield and score in MLS play-offs

The incident in question occurred in stoppage-time towards the end of a lively contest in Canada. The hosts found themselves trailing with a matter of seconds left on the clock, resulting in them sending everybody forward for a corner.

As the ball was partially cleared to the edge of the box, Alessandro Schopf attempted to make his way towards it and keep the attack alive. He clattered into the referee, leaving him on the deck, and LAFC raced up the other end of the field as Denis Bouanga tapped into an unguarded net.

The officials were unable to do anything about their involvement in a bizarre passage of play that swept from one end of the pitch to the other, but the effort was eventually ruled out for offside following a VAR review – much to the relief of those charged with keeping a lid on proceedings.

Tim Ford – the referee at the centre of the drama – had already incurred the wrath of Vancouver boss Vanni Sartini when awarding a first-half penalty that Bouanga successfully converted, with the Caps losing their head coach to a red card in a game that eventually finished 1-0.