On Tuesday night’s Champions League Group Stage match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Newcastle United, one VAR official was removed after making a contentious penalty call that led to Kylian Mbappe converting in stoppage time in order to draw. Eventually the game resulted in a draw after Kylian Mbappe converted his penalty kick himself.
Kylian Mbappe scored the crucial equalizing goal during a Paris match to level it 1-1 after eight minutes of stoppage time – creating some controversy when his goal hit Tino Livramento directly in his chest, then collided with his arm before coming under review by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak who awarded a penalty after VAR review.
Champions League Referee History:
Marciniak, who officiated both last season’s Champions League Final and 2022 World Cup Final, initially allowed play to continue on Tuesday; but his video assistant advised him to review what had transpired on his pitchside monitor before issuing any penalty notices for violations that might arise during that encounter.This season, UEFA’s panel led by football chief Zvonimir Boban stressed the need for clarity on handball rules. While experienced coaches and former players advocated for more lax approach when an unintended blow hits an opponent’s hand, on Wednesday afternoon UEFA declined to provide comments regarding match decisions made during matches.
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Handball Rules and VAR
Current regulations allow penalties to be assessed even in unintentional handball contact and penalties can be awarded through VAR reviews. Eddie Howe expressed dissatisfaction about Livramento’s hand being naturally in place and expressed disappointment that Livramento wasn’t penalised considering there wasn’t more time remaining in the match.
Impact on Standings:
The penalty decision had a direct bearing on Group F’s standings, placing PSG two points clear of Borussia Dortmund for second qualifying spot to Round 16. Howe expressed his discontentment over such decisions as they leave Newcastle limited options moving forward in competition.
Conclusion
Newcastle now finds themselves in an impossible situation as their next match against AC Milan on December 13 is now crucial if they want to avoid finishing bottom of Group D and make the knockout stage of Europa League. With PSG playing Borussia Dortmund next, any misstep could allow third place Newcastle through; that controversial penalty call continues to fuel discussions about handball rules in modern football.