Two semi-finals, two controversial handball decisions

Dubai: Across both UEFA Champions League semi-finals, 11 goals were scored, but the ties were also shaped by two contentious handball decisions that led to penalties.

For Premier League fans these decisions may have looked crazy considering the rules followed for handballs in the EPL, where intent, arm position, and whether a player has made their body unnaturally bigger are key factors in deciding offences.

Under the laws of the game, not every contact between ball and hand is penalised, especially if the arm is in a natural position or the player has no time to react to a close-range shot. However, despite UEFA streamlining with these rules, they certainly wasn’t followed in both UCL semi-final first-leg ties.

With Arsenal in the lead against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night at the Metropolitano Stadium, Marcos Llorente’s shot hit Ben White’s shin before the ball bounced up onto his arm and following a VAR review, Atletico were awarded a spot-kick.

This decision came 24 hours after Alphonso Davies was penalised for a similar action when Ousmane Dembele’s shot took a deflection before hitting his hand.

Both spot kicks where converted in the ties and whilst Arsenal take back a draw to the Emirates, Bayern will need to overcome a goal deficit at the Allianz Arena in the second-leg.

The decisions were met with significant scrutiny from the press, with widespread debate over their consistency and impact on the matches.

Former Liverpool and Real Madrid player Steve McManaman called for the handball rule in European competitions to be scrapped labelling it as “spoiling football”.

“The sad thing about it is at Premier League level there is a discrepancy between what goes on here in Europe and what goes on in the Premier League,” said McManaman.

“It’s getting too far away from each other because they are now giving penalties for everything. This handball stuff is spoiling the game, imagine saying that in a Champions League semi-final.”

Another former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher echoed McManaman’s comments regarding both decisions.

“I'm not having it. It's not right, it's not fair, I just think it's gone far too far. But don't get me wrong, as soon as I saw the incident, I knew it was going to be a penalty. This is the Champions League way of doing it,” said the Champions League winner."

He continued: "The Champions League is the best competition in the world by a mile, the World Cup can't come close.

"No domestic competition can come close, but the only thing letting it down is this, where you just think this is ridiculous. You have the best players in the world, playing for the biggest trophy in club football, and something like that is going to decide a game."