Soccer players-turned-pundits Ally McCoist and Jermaine Jenas have criticized the penalty call made in Newcastle United’s 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League.
Newcastle United traveled to the Parc des Princes for their Champions League Matchday 5 meeting with PSG on Tuesday night (November 28). The visitors got their noses in front through Alexander Isak and held the lead until stoppage time when a VAR check led to a penalty for the hosts. Kylian Mbappe stepped up for the spot-kick and effortlessly put it away to make it 1-1 in Paris.
Pundit Believes Newcastle United Were “Robbed” At PSG
PSG players appealed for a penalty for a handball against Tino Livramento in injury time. The referee Szymon Marciniak initially waved the appeals off, but the VAR asked the official to refer to his pitch-side monitor. Upon inspection, Marciniak ruled in PSG’s favor, ultimately costing Newcastle two valuable points.
The pair insisted it was a poor call from both the VAR and the referee as it was not an intentional obstruction from Livramento. McCoist said on TNT Sports (via Newcastle World):
“That is absolutely never a penalty.
“If we are giving penalty kicks for that in the biggest club competition on the planet, it’s a disgrace.”
Jenas held the same opinion, saying the ball came off Livramento’s chest before hitting his elbow.
The former Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur player called it “one of the most disgraceful decisions” he had ever seen.
He said:
“It’s a deflection off his body, onto his arm. Not in any walk of life is that a penalty.
“You can clearly see it hits Livramento’s chest, onto his arm, what’s he supposed to do with his arms? I’m fuming, I really am. There’s that feeling that you’ve been cheated.”
He concluded by adding:
“They [Newcastle] can still go through, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve been robbed. They’ve been absolutely robbed.”
Newcastle United Need A Win Over Milan And A Favor From Borussia Dortmund To Qualify For Round Of 16
The Magpies are currently in third place in Group F with five points on the board. In their final UCL Group F game, they will welcome fourth-placed AC Milan (5 points) to St. James’ Park. If Eddie Howe’s team manage a win and Group F leaders Borussia Dortmund (10 points) beat PSG at the Signal Iduna Park, they will move into the last 16 of the competition.
If PSG draw with Dortmund, Newcastle could still qualify with a win over Milan. But then they must win with at least a two-goal margin.
