Barcelona made it five wins from five in the 2024/25 La Liga season with a commanding win away to Catalan rivals Girona.
Teenage star Lamine Yamal scored twice in the first half, before further goals from Dani Olmo and Pedri put Hansi Flick's side in cruise control. Cristhian Stuani got a late consolation before Barca's Ferran Torres was sent off in the closing minutes.
Yet it was a refereeing decision in the first half that caused the greatest consternation. At 2-0, Girona thought they had won a penalty when Inigo Martinez was penalised for handball, yet the call was overturned following a VAR review.
Plenty of watching fans were aghast at the intervention given the ball clearly struck the back of Martinez's arm. So, why was the decision changed? The Sporting News explains.
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Why did VAR overturn Girona's penalty against Barcelona?
In the first half of the game, Girona's Bryan Gil jumped for a header inside the Barca penalty along with defenders Alejandro Balde and Inigo Martinez. The ball then struck the back of the arm of Martinez, and referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz awarded a spot-kick for handball.
However, the decision was overturned following a VAR review in which the on-field referee was instructed the check the pitchside monitor.
At the time, it was not entirely clear why the call was changed. It was speculated that the officials felt there was a foul as Gil jumped with Martinez and Balde, or that Martinez's handball could be excused due to having his back to the ball when contact was made.
However, it appears the decision was made because it was Balde who deflected the ball onto Martinez's arm, and not Gil. Replays showed that the Girona man missed his header and the ball then came off Balde and onto Martinez as the centre-back landed following his jump.
Mundo Deportivo's refereeing analyst, Cesar Barrenechea Montero, explained via the Spanish outlet: "If the ball comes directly from a clearance by a teammate and unexpectedly comes to another defender, hitting him on the hand or arm, then handball is not given." Despite the clear explanation, suffice it to say that many fans watching were not happy with the decision.
Barca were leading 2-0 at the time, with Lamine Yamal having scored twice. Olmo struck two minutes into the second half, effectively killing the contest, before Pedri got the fourth goal.
