‘A kid’s mistake’ – Tuchel slams ‘horrible explanation’ as Bayern denied penalty

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel was left enraged after his side were not awarded a penalty following a bizarre handball incident during their 2-2 draw with Arsenal in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.

However, footage subsequently emerged of Gabriel picking up the ball inside his own box after the referee’s whistle midway through the second half, when Bayern were leading 2-1.

The Brazilian randomly picked up the ball after goalkeeper David Raya had played it into his path, with Tuchel claiming referee Glenn Nyberg refused to award a penalty after deeming it a “kid’s mistake”.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Bayern head coach said: “I felt like a lot of little decisions went against us.

“The referee made a huge mistake in not giving a penalty.

“I know it’s a crazy situation, but they put the ball down, he [the referee] whistles, he [the goalkeeper] gives the ball to the defender [Gabriel], who then takes the ball in his hands.

“What makes us really angry was the explanation given on the field. He told our players that it’s a kid’s mistake and he will not give a penalty like this in a quarter-final.

“This is a horrible, horrible explanation because that means he is now judging handballs, whether it’s a kid’s or adult’s mistake.

“We feel angry because it’s a huge decision against us.”

Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown were in agreement with Tuchel in their analysis of the bizarre turn of events, with the former believing it to be even more of a stonewall call than the Saka incident.

“It’s a pen, oh my gosh how can that not be given?” said Ferdinand.

“I was so adamant that Saka’s was [a penalty] I’m even more so for this! It’s unbelievable! How can you blow the whistle like that and not give it?”

Keown added: “You can’t defend the indefensible and the referee is maybe a little bit out of his depth.

“We thought he had a good game, but there are key moments there that he’s missed.”

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