Referee Damir Skomina was RIGHT to award Liverpool first-minute penalty after Sadio Mane’s cross hit Moussa Sissoko on the arm
- Liverpool awarded a penalty after 21 seconds after contentious handball call
- Sadio Mane’s cross struck the underarm of Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko
- Slovenian referee Damir Skomina had little hesitation in pointing to the spot
- Mohamed Salah scored from 12 yards to ignite the Champions League final
- Liverpool beat Spurs 2-0 to be crowned European champions for sixth time
It was an incredible start to a Champions League final and the referee – and VAR – got it absolutely spot on.
It was tough on Moussa Sissoko and tough on Spurs but the bottom line is that Damir Skomina got the big call right.
Sadio Mane’s cross hit Sissoko on the arm because the Tottenham man put his arm out. He effectively made his body unnaturally bigger and because of that the referee has to award a penalty.
Liverpool were awarded a penalty in the Champions League final after just 21 seconds after Sadio Mane’s cross struck Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko on the underarm
Replays suggested that Sissoko had been struck on the chest or the underarm, not the arm
It was the worst possible start to the Champions League final for Tottenham in Madrid
So then it had to go to VAR because penalty decisions are one of the four criteria upon which VAR is operating this season.
VAR must decide whether or not it was a clear and obvious error by Skomina and it quite evidently wasn’t.
So it had to be a penalty. Everything about the process and the final decision was correct.
Slovenian referee Damir Skomina pointed to the penalty spot without any hesitation
Sissoko was left baffled by the decision as Skomina handed Liverpool a first-minute penalty
I know some pundits were unhappy with the call but it’s quite simply the right decision, made the right way, no matter how tough it seems on Spurs.
Later in the half Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was furious with the officials over a hand in the face from Andrew Robertson on Kieran Trippier which left the England full back on the deck.
But it wasn’t as bad as it looked. It was a foul – which was given – and it certainly didn’t warrant a card.
Again, Skomina called it absolutely right.
The penalty was timed at just 21 seconds and left Spurs stunned as they tried to settle down
Mohamed Salah celebrates with a knee slide after converting the second-minute penalty