MILAN, ITALY – MAY 06: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale is challenged by Pau Cubarsi of FC Barcelona which results in referee Szymon Marciniak (not pictured) awarding a penalty to FC Internazionale during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and FC Barcelona at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on May 06, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
There were two VAR incidents in the first half of Inter’s Champions League semi-final with Barcelona, so here is an explanation for why Francesco Acerbi’s handball was not a spot-kick, whereas Pau Cubarsi did give away a penalty.
You can see how the 2nd leg showdown unfolds on the Liveblog.
The first leg was a 3-3 thriller and the Nerazzurri went into half-time leading 2-0 on the night, 5-3 on aggregate.
There were two moments that proved decisive, along with the Lautaro Martinez goal, and involved referee Szymon Marciniak.
The first saw Acerbi go into a sliding block on the Pedri pull-back from the by-line and he kicked the ball onto his own arm.
There were penalty appeals from Barcelona, but VAR agreed with the referee that when the ball is deflected onto the hand by another ‘valid’ part of the body, in a natural movement, it is not to be considered a punishable handling offence.
Acerbi movement natural in Inter-Barcelona incident
At the other end, Marciniak had originally allowed play to continue when Pau Cubarsi went into a sliding tackle on Lautaro Martinez.
The camera angles seemed to show him move the ball away from the Inter striker, but one particular angle from the front showed in fact Cubarsi did not touch the ball at all.
Instead, his foul had pushed Lautaro Martinez’s boot onto the ball, so it was a foul and Hakan Calhanoglu converted from the spot.
Inter penalty against Barcelona
All the angles the Pau Cubarsí tackle to give Inter Milan a crucial penalty 👀#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/4Uu19snSal
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) May 6, 2025
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