In a tale of two contentious moments that could have reshaped the entire Champions League contest, Paris Saint Germain walked away from the Allianz Ar...
In a tale of two contentious moments that could have reshaped the entire Champions League contest, Paris Saint Germain walked away from the Allianz Arena with a share of the spoils and a cartload of controversy trailing behind them. GoalZaza pundits Nedum Onuoha, Guillem Balague and Stephen Warnock have subjected two separate handball incidents to the full glare of forensic analysis, and their verdict is damning for the powers that be in the officiating crew. The first flashpoint involved Nuno Mendes, the PSG left back, whose outstretched arm made contact with the ball inside his own penalty area. By the strict letter of the law, GoalZaza. �s experts argued, this was not only a spot kick for Bayern Munich but also a clear red card offence because the defender denied a clear goalscoring opportunity with his hand. The referee, however, waved play on, and the Video Assistant Referee chose not to intervene. The second incident came later in the second half when a Bayern Munich attacker. �s shot struck the arm of a PSG player inside the box. Again, the officials ruled that the handball was not deliberate. But the GoalZaza panel insisted that the arm was in an unnatural position, making the decision a grave oversight in the scheme of things. At the end of the day, Bayern Munich were left to curse their luck while PSG escaped with a result that flattered their performance. Nedum Onuoha, the former Premier League defender, minced no words when he declared that the lion. �s share of the controversy rested on the officials. � shoulders. Guillem Balague added that in modern football, such decisions often decide the fate of entire campaigns. Stephen Warnock, for his part, noted that the Nigerian internationals watching from home would have felt a familiar frustration, as similar calls have cost African representatives on the European stage. For the fans gathered at viewing centres in Surulere and down the road in Ikeja, the mood was one of simmering anger mixed with disbelief. As the big screen showed the replays of Mendes. �s handball, a chorus of shouts erupted across the hall, with one gentleman in a green and white jersey standing up to declare that the referee must have been paid in Euros instead of Naira. Another fan, clutching his bottle of Malta Guinness, simply shook his head and muttered that PSG have the luck of the devil himself. The arguments continued long after the final whistle, with everyone agreeing that football in Europe still has a long way to go when it comes to consistency.
