Ex-FIFA official hits out as Ethan Ampadu at centre of 'shocking' moment on Wales duty

Leeds United midfielder Ethan Ampadu was at the centre of a "shocking" refereeing decision in Wales' loss to Denmark.

Craig Bellamy's side were beaten 2-0 by the Danes in Copenhagen on Sunday evening.

Ampadu played the full 90 minutes for his country, as he did in the 1-0 loss to Portugal on Thursday.

The 26-year-old was not to blame for the defeat, though it was not his finest game either.

Ampadu thought he had made a telling impact late on in the game with his side two goals down.

But referee Willy Delajod had other ideas, with ex-FIFA ref Keith Hackett hitting out at the decision in an exclusive chat with MOT Leeds News.

What incident was Ethan Ampadu at centre of?

Ampadu, like he is for Leeds, is always at the heart of everything positive for Wales.

The midfielder was fully committed in the final stages of the match at Parken Stadium as he brilliantly won a header to set up Neco Williams for a looping header at the back post.

Williams' celebrations were cut short as the referee adjudged Ampadu had fouled his opponent when winning the header on the edge of the box.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, player turned pundit Nathan Blake was not having it as he said: "That is shocking.

"That's a great header from Ampadu. Of course there's going to be contact."

Asked for his thoughts on the incident, Hackett was in agreement with Blake that a free-kick should never have been awarded against Wales.

"That’s not a foul," Hackett said. "Ethan Ampadu makes a genuine jump and gets his head to the ball. The goal should have been allowed.

"VAR sadly did not intervene, judging incorrectly that the referee had not made a clear and obvious error when he had."

How did Ethan Ampadu perform in Wales loss vs Denmark?

Ampadu was not at his usual level against Denmark, but he was not helped by his teammates.

In truth, Denmark were a class above Wales and that told over the 90 minutes.

Ampadu had just 18 touches, which is way down on his usual levels, while he misplaced four of his 33 passes.

He also won just two of his 10 duels, so it was not exactly a game to remember.

Ampadu will now look to bounce back from this disappointment when Wales host Denmark in Cardiff on Thursday.