PSG 1-1 Newcastle United: Controversial penalty decision mars Magpies’ memorable game

PSG and Newcastle United might have played one of the thrilling encounters in the Group of Death in UEFA Champions League, but what could have been a sweet victory against Ligue 1 giants for the English side ended in a dismal stalemate, owing to a controversial penalty converted by star Kylian Mbappe on the dying minutes.

“Disgrace”- branded by several stars

Newcastle United had travelled to PSG for an important fixture, eyeing three points as they could not afford to lose this game, especially losing out to Borussia Dortmund in their previous games. Alexander Isak’s goal in the first half almost set the tone for a jaw-dropping victory for Eddie Howe’s men against Ligue 1 giants PSG, as they were slowly being reprimanded for their poor finishing chances. Toons were set to snatch all three points from Paris, but maybe were not destined to achieve that feat. On the eighth minute of stoppage time, Mbappe and Co. were awarded a controversial spot-kick decision by Szymon Marciniak, when Dembele’s cross bumped off on Livramento’s chest before hitting his arm, which was viewed by the match official on the pitch side monitor to award the penalty to Paris, which ended up being successfully converted by Mbappe to yield a 1-1 draw.

This controversial decision has mustered criticism from legends of the game, as former Magpies’ midfielder Jermaine Jenas was heard saying, “What is Livramento meant to do with his arms? Wrap them round his back? I’m fuming. The players threw everything at it and it should have been one of those historic wins. Newcastle have been robbed.”

The match was officiated by one of the best referees’ in the World, with Marciniak previously taking charge of 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France and 2023 UCL final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.

The Handball Rule

Whenever a player strikes a ball with his hand, match officials had to make quick decisions based on three rules-

a)Whether it is a deliberate action by the player?

b)The proximity of the ball to the player and the speed with which it hit the player

c)If the hand is in “unnatural position”

In case of Livramento incident, referee deemed that although the action was not deliberate, his hand was in an “unnatural position”, resulting in awarding the penalty.

What did Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said?

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, who was on the verge of making history by bringing all three points and winning all six possible points against a top side like PSG, was severely upset with the controversial decision which marred the thrilling encounter. He was heard saying after the game, “I didn’t think it was a penalty. What you don’t take into account with those replays is how quick the ball goes. It hits his chest first. If it hits his hands first, well it’s still not a penalty because he’s so close. But you can make more of a case.”

“It’s not a penalty when it hits his chest first and then hits his hand, which is low. I’m not allowed to sum it up. I can’t say my inner thoughts obviously. I thought the referee was having a good game up until this moment. He had been strong.”

A victory for Newcastle would have kept the Group of Death wide open with all four teams on the qualification scenario. Borussia defeated AC Milan and qualified for the next round, and for Magpies’ to get an entry ticket in Round of 16 means that they would have to defeat AC Milan in their last game and hope for a PSG defeat against Dortmund.