The most hyped game of Euro 2024 was unquestionably the quarterfinal between hosts Germany and three-time champions Spain.
It was a monstrous matchup of the two most impressive sides at the competition thus far, with many claiming it was a meeting good enough for the final and therefore a shame that one of the two teams had to go out at this stage.
The match delivered, as Spain advanced 2-1 after extra time following Germany's 89th-minute equalizer from Florian Wirtz. The contest was won in the 119th minute by Mikel Merino, who came off the bench for Spain to score a last-gasp header.
But the victory was not without controversy. A Jamal Musiala shot hit the arm of Spain defender Marc Cucurella just minutes before Merino's winner, leaving Germany incredulous at not having been given a penalty and a chance to go in front.
The Sporting News breaks down the late-game incident and why the officials did not give handball.
MORE: Full breakdown of the handball rule in the football Laws of the Game
Good call by Anthony Taylor not to award handball against Marc Cucurella. Looks more obvious than the one given vs. Joachim Andersen. But UEFA guidance advises not to award handball because Cucurella's arm is down, vertical and not judged to be making his body unnaturally bigger. pic.twitter.com/KLGOEFqm3i
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 5, 2024
Spain vs. Germany handball decision: Why was no penalty given against Marc Cucurella?
In the 106th minute of extra time between Spain and Germany, a right-footed blast by Musiala from the edge of the penalty area slammed into the arm of Cucurella.
The ball was tracking towards net and hit Cucurella's arm dead-on, but English referee Anthony Taylor waved play on. After a relatively short VAR check, play continued and no penalty was given.
Watch in USA:
No handball was given for this, do you agree with the call? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/tEcm0x0VtT
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 5, 2024
Musiala's shot quite clearly hit the arm of Cucurella, so why were Germany not given a penalty?
According to the Laws of the Game, a player is penalised for a handball if they:
"touch the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised."
In this situation, it was deemed by Taylor as well as fellow English VAR Stuart Atwell that Cucurella's arm was positioned in such a way that it did not represent an "unnatural position." The Chelsea defender's arm was by his side, and he was clearly in the process of making his body smaller, as it had been outstretched a moment earlier and was moving in towards his body.
Referee analysts in USA, UK agree Cucurella incident not a handball
Refereeing analysts on both USA and UK television both agreed that the incident was officiated correctly and that no handball should have been awarded.
FOX refereeing analyst Mark Clattenburg, a former Premier League and World Cup official, supported the decision when turned to on the U.S. broadcast, agreeing that Cucurella's arm was by his side.
CBS Sports refereeing analyst Christina Unkel, who is serving as an analyst on the broadcast of UK rights-holder ITV, agreed with the decision as well. In a social media post, she explained three components of the decision that led both Anthony Taylor and Stuart Atwell to wave play on.
First, Unkel highlighted the positioning of Cucurella's arm, claiming it's "considered down, near side body, straight." Second, she identified the movement of Cucurella's arm, which was in an unnatural position moments earlier and was moving down towards his side in an effort to make his body smaller.
Finally, Unkel pointed out that Cucurella's arm was behind his body from the side point-of-view, which you can see in an alternate camera angle. Had it been in front, it would be easier to argue he was making a deliberate action to block the shot, but because it was back behind his waist, it's more likely that he was making an effort to get out of the way.
Alongside those two television analysts, ESPN rules expert Dale Johnson wrote that UEFA issued referees pre-tournament guidance on incidents much like this, advising that they are not to be deemed penalties.
"[UEFA head of refereeing Roberto] Rosetti showed a clip of the ball hitting a defender's arm which was in a vertical position, close to the body," Johnson wrote. "He said this should not be a penalty and if the arm is close to the body, and not extended to create what could be deemed a barrier, this should not be punished."
