Antonio Conte raged at the decision to overturn Harry Kane's late winner in Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Sporting Lisbon before exiting his post-match press conference after only answering one question.

Spurs thought they had come from behind to defeat Porto and advance to the Champions League knockout stages until Kane swept home from close range in stoppage time.

However, after a lengthy VAR review, the England captain was ruled to be offside, which means Spurs must avoid defeat away to Marseille next week in order to qualify for the last 16.

Conte was sent off for his reaction to the decision and will serve an automatic one-game ban, which means he will not be able to watch the game in Marseille. Depending on what is in the referee's match report, he could face additional punishment.

Conte admitted he was still "really upset" when he took his one and only question from reporters shortly after full-time in his press conference. He could still be investigated for his post-match remarks, depending on the match delegate report.

"Everyone came onto the pitch, and then the referee decided to send me off," Conte explained. "I believe there are times when you can tell you just disallowed a regular goal because the ball is in front of Kane.

"You are aware that I do not comment on referee decisions, but we have been unlucky with VAR this season in the Premier League and the Champions League.

"I believe it causes significant harm. I'd like to see this type of decision with a top team in a big game, and I'd like to see if the VAR is brave enough to make it - an unfair decision because the ball is in front of Kane.

"Sorry, but I'm really upset because you can accept this situation sometimes, but I think it's not good because I don't see honesty in this type of situation, and when I don't see this, I get really, really upset.

"I think we played the first half of the game with low intensity, and Sporting Lisbon deserved to stay 1-0 up." At the end of the game, after our second half performance, I believe we deserved three points. But we have to wait until the last game against Marseille to make this decision."

Conte also urged Tottenham to "speak to the right people," especially if they fail to qualify for the knockout stages.

"I repeat, this decision causes significant harm," he said. I hope the club recognizes this and uses the appropriate situation to speak with the people who need to be spoken to; otherwise, only the manager speaks.

"I believe the club must be strong because this situation has caused significant damage. We don't know what will happen next week, and if we go out, I'd like to see what happens."

'VAR is difficult.'

Hugo Lloris, captain of Tottenham Hotspur, said VAR decisions are difficult to understand because the margins are so thin.
"It's difficult to decide when it's so close," he said. "It's technology, and we're getting used to it, but we're living in a complicated time.

"Obviously, we are aware of the rules. The issue is that the angle of the camera makes it difficult to tell if the defender's foot is on the same line as Harry Kane's foot.

"The ball line is also a reference, but it is difficult to see and identify the true line. It's difficult, but we have to trust technology, and when it works against you, you feel it's unfair, but when it works for you, your feelings are very different."

Why was Kane's goal overturned?

Kane was behind Emerson Royal in the Sporting area when the Spurs winger nodded the ball back towards him. The ball deflected off a defender and fell in front of Kane, who finished first time to give the hosts the lead.

However, after a lengthy VAR review that left those in the stadium unsure whether Tottenham had indeed qualified for the next round, it was determined that Kane was slightly in front of the ball when Emerson headed it in his direction and was thus offside.

Can a backwards pass put you offside?

Yes. If the ball is passed backwards, but the receiving player is ahead of the ball when it is played, they may be offside when they receive it. Kane's offside position was not reset in this case because the deflection that brought the ball into his path was not considered a deliberate play.

This type of incident is uncommon and undoubtedly painful for the Spurs, but despite their protests - Eric Dier shouted "the ball went backwards!" to officials after the game - this was done according to the rules.

Dermot believes that we must have faith in the system.
Was it the right choice?

Dermot Gallagher, a former Premier League referee: "Everything hinges on the ball." Is Kane behind the ball when Emerson plays it? It's extremely constrained.

"We have to have faith in the system." Kane is just in front of the ball, according to the system, so he is offside.

"Also, it hits the defender, and people say that puts Kane onside." It doesn't because the law states that it must be played deliberately or the player must make a deliberate move to the ball. He was struck by it.

"The unfortunate aspect of this decision is that it is not factual." It's not a matter of opinion, and it's not a case of obvious error. It is a decision based on facts. They've determined that he's factually incorrect."

Why was the decision so difficult to make?

Gallagher: "I was watching it live for what seemed like an eternity. They've examined it from every possible angle. They attempted to draw the lines, and there was no doubt that it was difficult. From one angle, he appears to be just behind the ball.

"I can see the fans in the crowd becoming increasingly frustrated as the game progressed. When we went into VAR, everyone said that if it takes a little longer to get a decision right, that's fine. Nobody expected three-and-a-half minutes.

"It just goes to show that it's not as simple or straightforward as everyone claimed. It's frustrating, but they've stated that it's factually incorrect."

VAR is ruining the game, according to O'Hara.

Jamie O'Hara, a former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder: "VAR cost us everything. I've watched it a hundred times, seen the still images, seen where the lines are, and I'm still not convinced it's offside. I don't see it, and I'm not sure how they arrived at this conclusion.

"Isn't it just ruining the game?" Four minutes to investigate an offside? It's supposed to take 30 seconds. It's outrageous, and it's ruined and marred what could have been a fantastic second half of a Champions League match.

"It's becoming more common, and it's not good.

"We love the game because of those moments." Equalizers in the 95th minute. If you went back through the years when we've had those great moments and stopped and went through everything, you'd see how many goals and amazing memories we've had in the Premier League and Champions League.

"VAR is interested in the smallest and finest margins." It's almost as if they're trying to score a goal. That is something I simply do not understand.

"The referee was present." He noticed it. The linesman noticed it. If it's not completely clear that Harry Kane was offside, leave it alone; it's a goal.

"Four minutes tells me that it's not clear and obvious, and you don't really know; you're split 50:50 on the decision."

"That, in my opinion, completely ruins the game for the spectators, managers, players, and everyone else." "I'm simply sick and tired of it."

Amorim: I like VAR because it is fair!

"I like it (VAR) because it's fair - most of the time," says Sporting boss Ruben Amorim. There are some issues because it is a difficult decision, but I did not see the footage. It was excellent in my opinion. It was a disaster for Antonio Conte. It's football time.

"It's a useful tool for improving football." It's not always easy for the fans, but I believe it's fair."