The reason referee Anthony Taylor did not give Germany a penalty during extra time in the Euro 2024 match against Spain has been explained.
Germany wanted a penalty kick when they thought a Spanish player used his hand to stop the ball from going into the goal. They felt very strongly about it.
The Spanish player, Marc Cucurella, did use his hand, but the referee, Anthony Taylor, did not think it deserved a penalty.
The decision was also reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Stuart Atwell, who agreed with Taylor’s call.
Because of this, Spain went on to win the game 2-1 and moved to the semifinals, while Germany lost and left the competition.
Many football fans are talking about this decision because they have seen similar actions being given as penalties before. They don’t understand why this time it was different.
Dale Johnson, who works for ESPN, explained it all by talking about the UEFA rules after the game.
He said, “Before the tournament started, UEFA explained that if a player’s arm is close to their side, pointing mostly down or behind their body, it should not be a handball penalty,” he wrote on social media platform X.
So, Marc Cucurella’s hand did not break the rules, according to UEFA’s guidelines.
On the same day, Portugal also left the tournament after losing to France in a penalty shootout, ending 5-4.