A nightmare start for PSG. While the players under Luis Enrique dominated possession in the first 15 minutes (78% to 22%), it was Arsenal who took the lead. The Parisians conceded the opening goal as early as the 5th minute after a misplaced clearance by Marquinhos fell to Leandro Trossard, who inadvertently set up Kai Havertz for a run into space. On the left flank, the German advanced past Matvey Safonov before unleashing a thunderous shot under the crossbar (5th).

Moments later, the defending champions thought they had leveled the score. Just after the 15-minute mark, Bukayo Saka received a corner from Ousmane Dembélé. The England international, standing near the edge of the penalty area, deflected the ball twice with his arms before it struck his hand a third time. PSG immediately appealed for a penalty, but to no avail. Match referee Daniel Siebert of Germany chose not to intervene, and the VAR did not overrule the decision.

Did he artificially increase the area covered by his body?

Under IFAB Law 12, not every ball-to-hand contact constitutes an offense. A foul is only given if the contact is deliberate or if the player artificially increases the area covered by his body. This occurs when the arm or hand position is not a natural result of the player’s body movement in that specific situation. In this instance, Saka’s arms were clearly away from his torso, suggesting his posture was a direct response to clearing the ball. Officials likely interpreted his positioning as a consequence of his defensive action.

Nevertheless, the non-call sparked fierce debate on social media. Critics argued, “He touched the ball with his hand 27 times in two seconds, but everything’s fine…” and “He’s juggling with his hands, but it’s all good”, while others defended the decision, stating, “He made it look easy like Neves’ hand at Munich” and “It’s impossible to call a handball there”. At halftime, despite creating chances, PSG remained one goal adrift.