Should Noni Madueke have had a penalty vs. PSG? Assessing big referee calls in Champions League final
· Yahoo Sports
Should Noni Madueke have had a penalty vs. PSG? Assessing big referee calls in Champions League final originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal went the distance in Budapest.
Visit newsbetting.cv for more information.
Kai Havertz stunned the reigning European champions with a brilliant sixth-minute finish at the Puskas Arena, and the freshly crowned Premier League champions then defended for their lives.
Gabriel, in particular, was immense among the Gunners' backline, but Cristhian Mosquera erred with a foul on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele dispatched a 65th-minute penalty.
As the game remained on a knife-edge through extra time and towards penalties, referee Daniel Siebert and his team of officials were firmly in the spotlight.
Here, we look through the big decisions they had to make, and how they fared.
MORE:PSG vs. Arsenal as it happened
Assessing big referee calls in PSG vs. Arsenal Champions League final
1. Arsenal goal: Potential handball by Leandro Trossard
Havertz motored clear of PSG's high line to rifle a brilliant finish high into the net and give Arsenal a flying start, but when Leandro Trossard intercepted on halfway to inadvertently send his teammate through, the ball clearly struck his arm.
However, Trossard had not made his body bigger and this, along with the accidental nature of the possible infringement, meant Siebert was right to let the goal stand.
Verdict: Correct call.
2. Possible PSG penalty for Bukayo Saka handball
When Saka erred by attempting to clear a first-half PSG cross and kicked the ball into his outstretched arms, Arsenal fans held their breath. It looked like the sort of incident that could have been given as a penalty in previous eras without complaint.
However, the current guidance means Siebert was correct to wave "play on".
IFAB's regulations read: "A handball offence is not committed when a player: heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards)."
Verdict: Correct call.
3. PSG penalty for Mosquera foul on Kvaratskhelia
A pretty straightforward call, this one. It was checked by VAR, as all penalty decisions are, but Mosquera got himself the wrongside of Kvaratskhelia and sent the Georgia winger tumbling.
The only thing to check was whether the foul had continued into the area, after Mosquera initiated contact outside. It did. But this was not the end of the questions for Siebert over this decision.
Verdict: Correct call.
4. Should Mosquera have been sent off?
Straight after PSG's equaliser, Mikel Arteta removed Mosquera and sent on Jurrien Timber. He was grateful to have the chance to do so.
The right-back began the second half by picking up a yellow card for a needless spot of time-wasting. A foul from behind with a player bearing down on goal is normally a yellow-card offence, and could have seen him sent off this time.
However, under the current guidance, Mosquera's foul falls under "stopping a promising attack (SPA)" and a challenge for the ball. There is no card on a penalty for this offence, in the same way that denial of a goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) is a yellow card and not a red when the infringement occurs inside the area.
Verdict: Correct call.
5. Noni Madueke penalty claim
Arteta replaced his starting wingers Saka and Trossard with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli, and the move looked like it might pay dividends during extra time.
England winger Madueke got goalside of Nuno Mendes heading into the box from the right. Both players tumbled to the ground and Declan Rice was booked for prolonged protests against the officials' decision not to give a penalty.
On the UK broadcast, the TNT Sports team complained extensively that the spot-kick should have been awarded, but that undoubtedly had an element of partial, parochial nonsense. The players were entangled; if anything, Madueke grabbing hold of Mendes' arm was the more obvious infringement. It would have been a brave and probably erroneous call to award a penalty. As was the case throughout, Siebert got a big decision right.
Verdict: Correct call.