Alan Shearer has condemned the 'pathetic' decision to award Paris Saint-Germain a penalty in their Champions League semi-final win over Arsenal. The former Newcastle United striker criticised referee Felix Zwayer for overturning his initial call after a VAR review, despite no PSG players appealing.
The incident occurred in the second half at the Parc des Princes, when Myles Lewis-Skelly was judged to have handled Achraf Hakimi's shot accidentally. Zwayer initially waved play on but, after being called to the pitch-side monitor, awarded the penalty with an apparent shrug of his shoulders.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer said: 'When the referee went to the screen, even the commentators said they weren't sure what it was for. It was like once he gave it, he was apologetic. Not one player thought it was a handball. It was a pathetic decision.'
Gary Lineker also voiced his frustration with VAR, stating: 'I'm starting to really loathe VAR. It sucks the life out of the game.' TNT Sports pundits Martin Keown and Ally McCoist echoed the criticism, with McCoist calling the decision a 'shambles'.
Despite David Raya saving Vitinha's penalty, PSG sealed a 2-0 win on the night (3-1 on aggregate) through Hakimi's goal. A late Bukayo Saka strike gave Arsenal brief hope, but Luis Enrique's side advanced to the final against Inter Milan on 31 May.
