VAR »fell asleep« in Germany: Champions League semi-final rows | OneFootball

Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro came under scrutiny for two decisions that, in the eyes of everyone at Bayern Munich, changed the course of the semifinal.

The first major controversy came in the 29th minute of the first half. Portuguese defender Nuno Mendes, who was already carrying a yellow card, stopped a dangerous run by Konrad Laimer with his arm extended. Despite the clear foul, the referee chose not to show a second yellow.

After an attempted clearance by Vitinha, the ball struck Joao Neves squarely on the arm, as he was making his body bigger inside the box. Neither Pinheiro nor his colleagues in the VAR booth considered it a penalty. They relied on a technical interpretation of the IFAB Laws of the Game, which allows certain contacts if they are deemed “justified movements,” although Bayern saw it as an unfair blow at a stage where there is no margin for error.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.