Alan Shearer branded the decision to give Paris Saint-Germain a penalty in their thrilling 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich as 'nonsense'. The highly controversial call occurred when referee Sandro Schaerer was instructed to review an incident at the pitch-side monitor.
Controversial Handball Decision
The ball struck Alphonso Davies' arm after bouncing up from his leg as he blocked Ousmane Dembele's cross. Despite watching multiple slow-motion replays, Schaerer awarded a spot-kick. Bayern's players were left in disbelief, with Joshua Kimmich particularly animated, gesturing that the ball had clearly hit Davies' groin first.
On Amazon Prime's coverage, guest pundit Mark Clattenburg deemed the decision incorrect, and Shearer was equally forthright in his assessment.
'Once I see that deflection on his arm, then that for me, shouldn't be a penalty. I don't agree with that, I really don't agree with it. A penalty was given for this incident when the ball bounced up onto Alphonso Davies' arm,' Shearer said. 'Once it comes off his leg onto his arm, then for me, that's a different story. If it hits his arm, okay, I might accept. But once it comes off a different part of his body and onto his arm, what's he meant to do? I think the handballs are nonsense. I think they've tied themselves up in knots over the years trying to get somewhere, which is fair. And I don't think that is, but there you go.'
Pundits Weigh In
Wayne Rooney concurred, stating: 'I don't think it's a penalty. His hands are behind his back and moves out when the cross comes in but it comes off his right thigh and then on to his arm. Maybe it's a bit different in Europe, I don't know, but not a pen for me.'
Daniel Sturridge also agreed with his fellow pundits but offered a possible explanation for the referee's decision: 'I think it's the nature of how it hits his hand because his arms are behind his back so it seems as if it's a reaction to the ball hitting his hand.'
Glenn Hoddle went even further on social media, posting: 'I am fuming what a game spoilt by a diabolical decision!! These refs are making a mockery of our game. It's disgraceful. Never ever a pen.'
Match Recap
Dembele scored the resulting penalty to make it 3-2 to PSG before half-time, and it seemed the tie might be over as the hosts launched a rapid onslaught after the break. PSG extended their lead to 5-2 through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and another from Dembele. However, Bayern mounted a sensational fightback with goals from Dayot Upamecano and Luis Diaz, ensuring they trail by just a single goal ahead of the return leg in Munich.
After the match, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany reflected to Amazon Prime: 'It was different for me to watch, but I would have preferred to be on the pitch, going with the emotion of the game and trying to help. The staff did fantastic to prepare the team. We suffered but we were dangerous. Five goals away from home in the Champions League normally means you're out but the chances we had, made us believe. If you've got nothing at the game at 5-2 then it's hard to make a case to turn it around but being as dangerous as we were then I feel like it's about getting your head back in the game and take our chances. I've seen a lot of good defending today but the game is such fine margins, you either go full into the battles, or retreat fully. The in between doesn't work against that level of players. We're at home with 75,000 people in the stadium, I want more. We want that weight to be there and then the Allianz Arena is a place where anything can happen.'
