Paris Saint-Germain were awarded a penalty during their match against Liverpool as a result of Ibrahima Konate’s reckless challenge, but the decision was overturned by VAR.
Ibrahima Konate takes on Warren Zaire-Emery (Image: Getty Images)
UEFA has revealed VAR’s decision to cancel the first penalty awarded to Paris Saint-Germain in the second half of Wednesday night’s match against Liverpool. The Ligue 1 giants and the Premier League giants clashed in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Parc des Princes.
They were already 2-0 up by then thanks to goals from Desir Douet and Kvitya Kvarashkeria, but Liverpool’s night looked set to get even worse in the French capital after 70 minutes. Ibrahima Konate was penalized for appearing to take down Warren Zaire-Emery inside the Liverpool area in a reversal as the PSG midfielder fell to the ground.
Jose María Sanchez immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the penalty spot before waving a yellow card at Konate, but VAR quickly intervened and challenged the referee’s on-field decision. Replays of the incident showed Konate actually stole the ball before grounding Zaire-Emery, and Sanchez returned to the field after a quick review to change his mind.
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As a result, Konate’s yellow card was canceled and Liverpool were awarded a free kick. And in the aftermath, UEFA quickly provided an explanation on its Champions League live blog.
“The decision is overturned. There was no penalty. The penalty is rescinded. There was no foul committed. Liverpool’s number five challenged the ball in a fair manner without committing a foul on the opponent,” he wrote.
Elsewhere, pundits watching the match were quick to opine on whether the penalty was right to be awarded in the first place. Ally McCoist told TNT Sports: “I thought it was a great challenge.
“It looked like he twisted his leg. He came from behind. I think he probably knocked him first. He just knocked him.”
Meanwhile, Paul Robinson explained: “Ibrahima Konate was caught on the wrong side and not goal-side. Konate came around to the side and did get the ball, but I think he caught Warren Zaire-Emery first.”
Stephen Warnock is also a little more convincing. He said: “I still don’t know if that was a penalty or not. I’d like to see that challenge from behind again. That’s the angle.”
PSG beat Liverpool 2-0 (Image: Getty Images)
“Konate first makes contact with Zaire-Emery. He strokes his thigh before receiving the ball, but I don’t know if that’s enough to beat him.”
Even if the decision went in favor of Liverpool, it was not enough to prevent a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Les Parisiens. Arne Slott’s Reds will thankfully have the chance to atone for that loss when the sides meet again in the semi-finals of Europe’s top football competition at Anfield.
The game is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 14th at 8 p.m. However, Liverpool’s next target is to return to the Premier League and face Fulham on Saturday 11th April.
The Reds hope to re-qualify for the Champions League in 2026/27 and will be hoping to finish their remaining seven league games with a strong domestic result. At the time of writing, Liverpool sit in fifth place in the league standings, just five points off the top four.
The next game against Fulham, along with trips to Everton, Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford, will give the club ample opportunity to move up the table before the final game of the season in May.
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