PSG beat Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday evening to book their place in the final in Munich.
PSG will face Inter in the final, but, as ever, this game wasn’t without incident.
Les Parisiens were good value for their win on the night, but the game was, very nearly, overshadowed by a controversial VAR decision.
Indeed, Luis Enrique’s side were given a penalty for a handball by Myles Lewis-Skelly, and, according to Martin Keown, even PSG fans in the stadium couldn’t believe this decision.
Lewis-Skelly has been brilliant all season, and this was a very harsh call on a young player on the biggest of stages.
Speaking during his commentary for TNT Sports, Keown noted how the PSG fans around him reacted after seeing replays of this penalty call.
How PSG fans reacted after seeing penalty decision replay
Keown noted that the PSG fans around him were not happy despite being given a penalty at the Parc des Princes.
The commentator said it was interesting as the home fans around the gantry were actually shaking their heads at the VAR decision after seeing the replay.
Arsenal have had plenty of refereeing controversy this season, and Wednesday evening was no different.
“It’s interesting. The fans around us are all shaking their heads. They’re looking at our monitors. They think they’ve got one there,” Keown said.
David Raya’s penalty record for Arsenal in the Champions League
The referee and VAR appeared to make a very harsh call here, but, luckily, justice was served as David Raya would save the resulting penalty.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Raya has had heroics in the Champions League for Arsenal from penalties.
Raya was the hero against Porto in a penalty shootout last year, while Raya earned serious praise for a save against Atalanta earlier this year.
Raya has a remarkable record when it comes to saving penalties in Europe.
| David Raya’s penalty record for Arsenal in the Champions League | |
| Penalties faced | 9 |
| Penalties saved | 4 |
| Save percentage | 44% |
Interestingly, Raya’s penalty record domestically is much worse.
| David Raya’s penalty record for Arsenal in the Premier League | |
| Penalties faced | 6 |
| Penalties saved | 1 |
| Save percentage | 17% |
Raya seems to be a goalkeeper who thrives on the big stage, and while the Gunners may have fallen short on this occasion, the Spaniard may well be a difference maker in major trophy wins in the future.
