The most anticipated match of Euro 2024 was, without a doubt, the quarter-final between hosts Germany and three-time champions Spain.
It was a monstrous clash between the two most impressive teams in the competition so far, with many arguing that it was a good enough match for the final and therefore a shame that one of the two teams had to be eliminated at this stage.
The match was a success, with Spain taking a 2-1 lead after extra time following Germany’s equaliser in the 89th minute, scored by Florian Wirtz. The match was won by Mikel Merino in the 119th minute, after coming on as a substitute to score a header in the last minute.
But the victory was not without controversy. Jamal Musiala’s shot hit the arm of Spanish defender Marc Cucurella minutes before Merino’s winner, leaving Germany in disbelief that they were not given the chance to take the lead after not being awarded a penalty.
Jugo Mobile analyses the incident at the end of the match and why the referees did not call for handball.
Spain vs Germany handball decision: Why was no penalty awarded against Marc Cucurella?
In the 106th minute of extra time between Spain and Germany, Musiala’s right-footed shot from the edge of the area hit Cucurella’s arm.
The ball was heading towards goal and hit Cucurella’s arm squarely, but English referee Anthony Taylor waved play on. After a relatively brief VAR review, play continued and no penalty was awarded.
View in United States:
No handball has been called in this case, do you agree with the decision? ? image.twitter.com/tEcm0x0VtT
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 5, 2024
Musiala’s shot clearly hit Cucurella’s arm, so why wasn’t Germany awarded a penalty?
According to the Laws of the Game, a player is penalized for handling the ball if:
“Touching the ball with the hand or arm when the body has become unnaturally enlarged. A player is considered to have an unnaturally enlarged body when the position of his hand or arm is not a consequence of or justified by the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having his hand or arm in that position, the player runs the risk of the ball hitting his hand or arm and being penalized.”
In this situation, Taylor and his compatriot Stuart Atwell, the English VAR, deemed that Cucurella’s arm was positioned in such a way that it did not represent an “unnatural position”. The Chelsea defender’s arm was at his side and was clearly in the process of making his body smaller, as he had stretched it out a moment earlier and was moving towards his body.
