Spain beat Germany in the quarterfinal of Euro 2024 in a spine-chilling contest. However, the result could have potentially been different if referee Anthony Taylor had decided to award Germany a penalty but did not. Jamal Musiala’s rocket from outside the box hit Marc Cucurella‘s left hand on the way to the target. The official denied the penalty request despite the Spanish player being inside his penalty box.

It happened in the 106th minute of the match when the score was 1-1. Had Musiala’s shot (which was on target) not hit Cucurella, it would’ve been a definite goal-scoring opportunity. And since the Spanish left-back was inside the penalty box and interfered with a clear goal-scoring opportunity, that should’ve been a direct penalty. So why wasn’t it?

Referees typically consider the player’s intention and hand position when awarding a penalty. Per soccer rules, a penalty for a handball is awarded when “a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by committing a non-deliberate handball offense.” In this case, Cucurella was anticipating Musiala’s shot and moved to the right. Because of inertia, the sudden movement made his left hand stick out. But as soon as he saw the German winger shoot, Cucurella quickly tried tucking his hand in.

Considering the contact with the ball happened as he was moving his hand toward his body (which was in a vertical position), and he wasn’t deliberately trying to make his body unnaturally bigger, it indicated that Cucurella did not intend to stop the ball with his hand. Hence, due to the vertical position of his hand, the penalty wasn’t awarded.

Meanwhile, the officials refrained from re-checking the decision for a lengthy discussion. Despite some strict rules being followed in Euro 2024, it was one of the rare occasions that a handball foul didn’t result in a penalty. The hand position plays a crucial role in adjudging handballs, and in this case, the Chelsea defender’s arm was pointing downwards.

Anthony Taylor’s decision did not go down well with German fans, leaving them distraught. Had the penalty been awarded, there may have been a good chance Germany’s spellbinding comeback would’ve been rewarded with a win. After Spaniard Dani Olmo ended the 0-0 stalemate in the 51st minute, the hosts were trailing throughout the second half. They were one minute away from waving goodbye when Joshua Kimmich kept the ball in play and directed it to Florian Wirtz, who equalized in the 89th minute. That said, just a little more than half an hour later, Germany did have to wave their goodbyes.

As for the penalty decision, this was the second game in a row where Germany was met with a handball call. In their Round of 16 clash against Denmark, Michael Oliver made a call in favor of Germany, awarding the hosts a penalty that allowed Kai Havertz to score for a 1-0 lead. When David Raum tried to cross the ball into the penalty box, it hit Denmark’s Joachim Andersen’s hand. Unlike Cucurella’s arm, which was vertical and facing downward, Anderson’s arm was horizontal and raised to chest level. That said, quite a few other decisions in the Spain versus Gemrany quarterfinal were also under scrutiny.

Spain vs. Germany a test of composure for Anthony Taylor

It was a high-intensity contest between the two teams, and Anthony Taylor had to deal with some tough decisions. Within the opening five minutes, a tackle from Toni Kroos took Pedri down, and Taylor faced criticism for not penalizing the German with a yellow card. Subsequently, Spain took Pedri off and replaced him with Dani Olmo. In another crucial moment, Taylor refused Spain to take a freekick after Kroos took down Mikel Oyarzabal in the last minute of stoppage time before heading towards extra time.

All in all, 16 yellow cards were handed out in the 120 minutes of play, and 39 fouls were recorded. That said, both teams had a fair share of chances. But Spain got the winning shot in the 119th minute thanks to a fantastic cross from Dani Olmo, who provided the lead early in the second half. Notably, Mikel Merino headed home the winner, beating Neuer. But do you think Taylor’s verdict was correct? Let us know in the comments.