Emre Can has claimed that the referee was wrong to award Manchester City a penalty in their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night, after the German international was judged to have handled the ball in the area.
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Dortmund had taken the lead in the second stage, thanks to Jude Bellingham’s early strike, although the balance of the game swung in City’s favor as Can was penalized for handling the ball in the box.
May have made two mistakes in tie | Frederic Scheidemann / Getty Images
A long VAR check followed before referee Carlos del Cerro Grande eventually awarded the spot kick – which Riyad Mahrez converted – although Can has claimed that the decision was wrong and that it ultimately cost his side a place in the semi-finals.
“The match clearly changed after 1-1,” he told Sky Germany (via Goal). “I first touched the ball with my head and then it somehow hit my hand. The rules say it’s not a handball.
“To have received a penalty against us because of it and maybe because of it, to have lost the game leaves a bitter taste. A goal was stolen from us in the first stage. It hurts.”
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) moved to clarify the handball rule in March, although the final decision is ultimately at the referee’s discretion when considering whether the player has moved his arm towards the ball or tried to make himself a bigger goal.
Can’s teammate Marco Reus admitted that he thought the referee’s decision was correct at the time, but has since changed his mind after reading the handball rules.
Marco Reus has changed his mind about the penalty decision since he read the handball team Frederic Scheidemann / Getty Images again
While the Dortmund captain admitted that City were the better team at night, he also believes that the result of the tie could have been different if it were not for the penalty shootout.
“From my point of view, it was a handball. But I was also told that the ball bounced off Emre’s head against his hand. According to FIFA rules, there is then no penalty, he said.
“If it had happened like that on the other side, we would also have protested loudly, you have to be honest. You have to honestly admit that City were better and smarter today.
“You have to admit it without envy. Still, if we did not concede the goal, maybe we could have kept it open. Then we can have better counter-situations, unfortunately we did not succeed.”
