PSG vs Newcastle: Why the Referee Denied Two Penalties but Eventually Accepted the Third

PSG-Newcastle match had a surreal turn of events with two handballs in the box and a foul on Hakimi. The referee eventually succumbed, awarding a miraculous penalty to PSG.

The first handball in the box was not given as a penalty. The VAR informed Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who didn’t bother to check the footage. Another foul on Hakimi followed, with a clear penalty denied again. PSG players were furious.

In the final moments, after 30 minutes of siege on Newcastle’s goal, a defender deflected the ball with his hand. Miraculously, referee Szymon Marciniak reviewed the footage and didn’t hesitate to award a penalty, converted by Mbappé. This goal saved PSG from a dire situation.

On the first handball, the referee deemed the contact time insufficient to award a penalty. However, it was the opposite for the second incident, especially considering Mbappé was right behind, on the ball’s trajectory. This likely influenced the referee’s decision to award the penalty.

Former international English referee Mark Clattenburg disagrees with the decision. « Newcastle has every right to feel robbed, » he said. Clattenburg argues that the ball hit Lewis Miley’s thigh and then bounced onto a slightly away arm earlier in the match. The VAR decided not to review it.

« In the deepest of stoppage time, we saw an almost identical incident, » Clattenburg continues. « The ball ricocheted off Tino Livramento’s chest and onto his arm, and this time, the VAR recommended a review by Marciniak. However, the angle behind the goal, which we all saw on television but the VAR did not show Marciniak, clearly proves that it was not the case. »

« Livramento did not enlarge his body. His arm was in a natural position for the movement he was making. He did not have time to react to the deflection. This penalty goes against all UEFA guidelines, and Newcastle paid the price for it. »