Alphonso Davies conceded a penalty for Bayern Munich (Image: TNT / X)
Alan Shearer slammed UEFA’s handball rule when a contentious spot-kick was awarded to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening. Les Parisiens played host to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals, with Sandro Scharer officiating the contest. At the end of a thrilling first half, with the scores level at 2-2 courtesy of goals from Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves and Michael Olise, Alphonso Davies appeared to have inadvertently handled the ball inside his own penalty area.
Ousmane Dembele attempted to whip the ball into the box when it struck the full-back’s leg before cannoning into his arm. While Dembele was quick to appeal for a handball, Scharer initially waved it away. However, following VAR intervention prompting the Swiss official to review the footage at the pitchside monitor, he reversed his original call and awarded the penalty to PSG.
It took little time for Shearer to voice his displeasure with the ruling, taking aim at UEFA’s laws of the game. Speaking on commentary for Amazon Prime Video, he said: “Once you see that deflection onto his arm, then that for me, shouldn’t be a penalty.
“He’s give it. I don’t agree with that, I really don’t agree with it. Once it comes off his leg onto his arm, then for me, that’s a different story. If it hits his arm then okay, I might accept. But once it comes of a different part of his body onto his arm, what’s he meant to do?”
Former referee Mark Clattenberg weighed in, saying: “I agree with you, Alan, but we’ve seen it time and time again over the last two seasons. Something that we always discuss, it’s highly controversial.
“But when you see it come from that body, the leg onto the arm – even though the arm’s came away from the body – I don’t believe they should be given, and I agree with Alan.”
Delivering a characteristically forthright assessment, Shearer hit back: “I think 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.”
PSG led 5-2 by the 58th minute as Kvaratskhelia and Dembele both sealed braces for the French hosts at the Parc des Princes.
But Dayot Upamecano reduced the deficit in the 65th minute as he headed in from a free-kick to make it 5-3. The French defender’s goal made it the first semi-final match in Champions League history to see eight goals scored in a single leg.
In a wild game of football, Luis Diaz made it 5-4 with 22 minutes still to play after a VAR check confirmed he was onside. The lineswoman had initially disallowed the Colombian’s finish.
And that was how it ended in Paris, with Bayern looking to overturn PSG’s advantage at the Allianz Arena in Munich next Wednesday (May 6).