- Manchester United beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Round of 16 after a controversial VAR review awarded them a game-changing penalty kick.
- Referees used video review to determine PSG's Presnel Kimpembe had committed a handball, thus giving Man U the penalty kick, which Marcus Rashford buried.
- Moments before the incident occurred, soccer analyst and former USMNT player Alexi Lalas said that handball rules should be simplified, arguing any ball that touches a player's hand or arm should be a handball, regardless of intention.
- After the controversial call, Lalas said referees got the call right by his rules.
The Champions League Round of 16 ended in controversy on Tuesday after a controversial video review gave Manchester United a game-changing penalty kick to top Paris Saint- Germain and advance to the next round.
In the 90th minute, referees went to video review to judge a potential handball on PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe. They ruled the ball hit his arm, calling it a handball, and awarding a penalty kick to Manchester United.
Forward Marcus Rashford buried the ball in the back of the net to put Man U up definitively and push them into the next round.
INSANITY IN PARIS 😱 Manchester United converts a penalty after VAR to go through in stoppage time...WHAT pic.twitter.com/7ZgpZzLyre
— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) March 6, 2019
The timing and the ruling were remarkably coincidental, as moments before, soccer analyst and former USMNT defender Alexi Lalas posted a video on the handball rules and how soccer can clear them up.
Lalas argued that any ball that touches a player's hand or arm, intentionally or unintentionally, should be called a foul. He said it would save everyone time and make VAR easier, as referees would only have to look to see if the ball touched a player, not the intentions of the player or any other factors that could play into the situation.
Here was Lalas' video:
The handling law should simply be: If the ball hits your hand or arm, it’s a foul. If you’re good enough to hit the arm/hand of an opponent and draw a penalty, then have at it.
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) March 6, 2019
State of the Union Podcast: https://t.co/mXDG8dG4S5pic.twitter.com/CD73Yu9LHG
Then, moments later, PSG was whistled for a handball. Lalas applied his same logic to the incident, ruling that it should have been a handball simply because it touched Kimpembe.
Correct call. Handling. Deliberate decision by player to jump and turn back with arm in that position. https://t.co/z9E1cwSDs0
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) March 6, 2019
Lalas' justification might not assuage many PSG players or fans, but the simplicity of his logic would make such plays less easy and less controversial.