Newcastle United (England), whose progression to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round of 16 was halted by a stoppage-time penalty from Thierry Henry (France), has called the decision “incomprehensible.

Newcastle drew 1-1 away to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the fifth leg of their 2023-2024 UCL Group F match at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on Sept. 29 (KST).

Newcastle took the lead in the 24th minute through Alexander Isaac, but had to settle for a point after Kylian Mbappe equalized from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time.

Newcastle complained that they were robbed of three points by an incomprehensible penalty decision.

To put things in perspective, less than five minutes into the eight minutes of added time awarded in the second half, Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right penalty area first struck the top of the left abdomen of Tino Livramento, who was right next to him, before rebounding and landing on his left arm.

The referee, who did not blow the whistle in the first place, later awarded a penalty via video assistant referee (VAR).

Mbappe stepped up to take the spot kick and neatly converted, giving PSG a dramatic equalizer just before the end of the game.

“I didn’t think it was a penalty situation,” said Newcastle boss Eddie Howe after the game, “it’s not a handball if the ball hits the torso first and then the arm lower down, and the referee didn’t even take into account the speed of the ball.”

“The officiating was good until this call,” he added.

According to the BBC, Ally McCoist, who commentated on the game for TNT, said, “It’s not a penalty at all. It’s a disgrace that a penalty was given.”

Former Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas also criticized the decision, saying, “I don’t know what Livramento was thinking when he moved his arm, I’m furious,” and added, “The players who gave it their all could have delivered a historic win, but Newcastle were robbed of three points.”

Newcastle’s chances of progressing to the UCL Round of 16 were in jeopardy as they were only able to pick up a point from the draw.

In Group F, Borussia Dortmund (Germany) topped the group (10 points) with the final match remaining.

Second-place PSG (7 points), third-place Newcastle (5 points), and fourth-place AC Milan (Italy – 5 points) will find out their fate in the final match.

Newcastle, who could have qualified for the last 16 on their own with three points, will need to beat AC Milan in the final match and hope that Dortmund don’t lose to PSG. 토토사이트