Bayern Munich stars were furious with the decision not to award them a penalty for handball against PSG midfielder Joao Neves in their Champions League semi-final clash. However, a little-known rule proves the referee got it right.
Harry Kane and his team-mates were adamant they should have been given a spot-kick when the ball struck Neves in the box 30 minutes into their tense second leg at the Allianz Arena, which ended in a 1-1 draw, sending PSG through to the final.
Vitinha had attempted to clear the ball but instead hit it straight at Neves, whose arm was away from his body. Bayern, trailing 5-4 from the first leg, protested but referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro waved them away, and VAR refused to intervene.
The officials were correct because of an exemption to the handball rule. The laws of the game state that it cannot be a handball offence if the ball is played onto the hand/arm by a team-mate, unless the ball goes directly into the opponents' goal or the player scores immediately afterwards. Since the ball struck Neves' arm after being played by Vitinha, no penalty was awarded.
This ruling would be overridden only by an act of deliberate handball, which could not realistically be claimed against Neves. Bayern were also angered by Nuno Mendes avoiding a second yellow card, but the referee's decisions stood.
A frustrated Vincent Kompany took aim at the officials after the match, saying, "We have to look at some of the phases that were decided by the officials across the two games. It is never an excuse for everything, but it matters, and if you look at both legs, probably too much went against us."
PSG set up a meeting with Arsenal in the final in Budapest on May 30 after winning the tie 6-5 on aggregate. Ousmane Dembele fired the French side into the lead after just three minutes, leaving Bayern requiring two goals to force extra time. Harry Kane moved his side to within one after a superb finish in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late as Luis Enrique's side ensured they will defend their European crown.
