UEFA explain why Manchester United’s last-gasp penalty was awarded as they say PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe was far enough away from ball and made his body ‘bigger’ to block shot
- Manchester United dumped Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League
- United won the tie thanks to a controversial last-minute penalty award in Paris
- UEFA have released a statement explaining why the referee was correct
UEFA has issued an explanation for the late penalty award for handball which helped seal Manchester United’s passage to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Referee Damir Skomina was alerted by the video assistant referee under the ‘serious missed incident’ VAR protocol, and after viewing replays he awarded the spot-kick against Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe because ‘his arm was not close to his body’ when Diogo Dalot’s shot struck it.
‘Following the on-field review, the referee confirmed that the distance that the ball travelled was not short and the impact could therefore not be unexpected,’ guidance issued by UEFA on Friday morning read.
Presnel Kimpembe was penalised for handball after VAR reviewed the decision on Wednesday
Referee Damir Skomina awarded the penalty, and UEFA has backed his decision in a statement
‘The defender’s arm was not close to the body, which made the defender’s body bigger thus resulting in the ball being stopped from travelling in the direction of the goal.
‘The referee, therefore, awarded a penalty kick.’
Marcus Rashford scored the penalty to take United through on away goals.
Marcus Rashford converted the spot kick to send Manchester United in to the quarter finals
