UEFA have cleared up any doubts about why Real Madrid saw their penalty overturned on Wednesday night. With the scores goalless midway through a tight first half, referee Francois Letexier initially pointed to the spot when Kylian Mbappe went down in the box under a challenge from Declan Rice.
Arsenal star Rice looked amazed by the decision and immediately protested his innocence to Letexier. Replays showed the challenge was soft but Mbappe was so confident VAR would rule in his favour that he put the ball on the penalty spot. VAR eventually called Letexier over to the pitchside monitor, where he painstakingly reviewed his initial decision and decided that it was not a foul after all.
UEFA clarified the decision-making process for the fuming Real Madrid fans by saying: “The penalty for Real Madrid has been taken away due to a non-foul by Declan Rice.”
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