Former French International Referee Would Have Awarded Penalty to Marseille

A controversial moment in the match was the penalty not awarded to Olympique de Marseille (OM) for a handball by Emerson in the 90th minute. Referee M. Sanchez Martinez chose to let the game continue, with a possibility to review the incident later using VAR. Following that moment, Samardzic scored the only goal in a match that Atalanta largely controlled, winning 1-0. The referee ultimately did not review the incident on video, much to OM’s frustration. On la Chaîne L’Equipe, Saïd Ennjimi stated that the penalty should have been awarded.

“He could have awarded the penalty,” stated the former international referee. “The body movement should remain natural to avoid a foul. The referee judged that the player’s arm movement was not intended to enlarge his body to block the ball, but was a natural consequence.” He also referenced another controversial play involving a shot from Höjbjerg: “A player from Atalanta (Honest Ahanor) had his arm close to his body but moved his shoulder forward. A penalty could have been awarded in that case as well.”