The start of the Champions League final proved nightmarish for Paris Saint-Germain. Though the players under Luis Enrique dominated possession in the early stages (78% to 22%), it was Arsenal who struck first on Saturday in Budapest. The Parisians found themselves trailing after just five minutes when Marquinhos’s misguided clearance inadvertently set up Leandro Trossard, who launched Kai Havertz into space. The German forward then squared off against Matvey Safonov before unleashing a thunderous shot that beat the goalkeeper under the crossbar (5th minute).

Minutes later, Paris Saint-Germain thought they had a golden opportunity to level the score. Shortly after the 15-minute mark, Bukayo Saka received a corner from Ousmane Dembélé near the edge of the box. The England international, positioned close to the penalty area, deflected the ball onto his outstretched arms before making a third contact with his hand. The Parisians immediately protested for a penalty, but the referee, Daniel Siebert, ignored their appeals, and the VAR did not intervene.

Did Saka artificially expand the area covered by his body?

Under IFAB Law 12, not every contact between the ball and a player’s hand or arm constitutes an offense. A foul occurs only if the contact is deliberate or if the player has artificially increased the area covered by their body. The rule specifies that this happens when the position of the arm or hand is not a natural result of the player’s body movement in that situation. In this instance, Saka’s arms were clearly away from his body, suggesting his position was a direct response to clearing the ball. Officials likely deemed his posture justified by the action.

Nevertheless, the no-call sparked fierce debate on social media. Critics argued, “He touched the ball 27 times with his hand in two seconds—yet everything’s fine?” and “The guy juggles with his hands—all good.” Supporters of the decision countered with statements like “He created the situation himself, just like Neves’ hand at Munich” and “It’s hard to justify a penalty here.” At halftime, Paris Saint-Germain had failed to pull level despite a few half-chances, none truly clear-cut.