An incredible Champions League victory for Newcastle United was spoiled by a Kylian Mbappe penalty in the 98th minute.
Almost all commentators around the globe agreed that Paris Saint-Germain’s penalty in the 98th minute Friday night was wrong. Newcastle United managed to hang on until the very end thanks to a contentious penalty kick that referee Szymon Marciniak granted.
Despite Ousmane Dembele’s cross deflected off his chest first, Tino Livramento was deemed to have touched the ball inside the box. The decision that prevented a Champions League victory that would go down in history infuriated Newcastle’s players, coaches, and fans.
Whether or not the Magpies defeat AC Milan at St. James’ Park on December 13 is already out of their hands after Kylian Mbappe buried the ensuing penalty to steal a point. Eddie Howe’s team needs to defeat PSG in their penultimate group match in order to advance to the knockout stages. Borussia Dortmund did just that last night at the San Siro.
The stoppage-time drama at the Parc des Princes garnered the majority of post-match commentary, as was to be expected. ChronicleLive highlighted a summary of the pundits’ opinions regarding the penalty call. Few people undoubtedly agreed with Marciniak’s or VAR’s ruling.
Jamie Carroll
“To choose to act against you as a football player is a terrible choice. You occasionally mention things like, “the arm is away from the body,” and I get it.
“He is very near.” It requires a diversion. He has his arm raised to sprint. In reality, where is he meant to place his arm? He’s not just standing there with his arm protruding. In actuality, he’s making a defensive run motion. These are disliked by all. Supporters find this offensive.
“The best referee in the industry is this one. For the most part of the evening, he has been excellent. It strikes Livramento’s left elbow after bouncing off his chest.
“We might as well forget about it if that’s a penalty, I stated in the commentary. That is never, ever a punishment. It’s shameful if we’re awarding penalty kicks for that in the largest completion ever recorded on Earth.
“That decision is among the most shameful things I’ve seen in a long time when you look at it. The essence of the game, all the effort the players exert, and it all boils down to an unexpected call made by the referee.
“His arm was struck by a deflection that left his body. Not in any field of endeavor Is that a sanction? What action is expected of him? I’m furious. They have a sense of having been duped.