The start of the Champions League final turned into a nightmare for Paris Saint-Germain. While Luis Enrique’s side dominated possession in the first 15 minutes (78% to 22%), it was Arsenal who struck first, leading 0-1 on Saturday in Budapest. The Parisians had conceded the opening goal as early as the 5th minute following a misplaced clearance by Marquinhos, which inadvertently set up Leandro Trossard to launch Kai Havertz into space. The German then advanced down the left flank, evading Matvey Safonov before unleashing a thunderous strike under the crossbar.

A few minutes later, PSG thought they had a legitimate penalty claim. Just after the 15-minute mark, Bukayo Saka received a corner from Ousmane Dembélé. The English international, positioned near the edge of the box, used both arms to clear the ball before making a third contact with his hand. The Parisians immediately protested, but to no avail. Referee Daniel Siebert of Germany chose not to penalize the action, and the VAR did not intervene.

Did Saka artificially extend his body’s coverage area?

According to IFAB’s Law 12, not every ball-to-hand contact constitutes an offense. A foul is only given if the action is deliberate or if the player artificially increases the area covered by their body. The rule specifies that this occurs when the arm or hand position is not a natural consequence of the player’s body movement in that specific situation. In Saka’s case, the Arsenal player’s arms were clearly away from his body, but officials likely determined that this position was a direct result of his attempt to clear the ball.

Nevertheless, the non-call sparked fierce debate on social media. Critics argued that Saka had used his hands multiple times in quick succession, calling the decision questionable. Others defended the referee’s call, stating that the contact was unavoidable given the player’s motion. At halftime, PSG had failed to equalize despite creating a few half-chances, leaving the outcome uncertain.