Bayern vs PSG: Nigerian star gives verdict on officiating in Champions League clash

Referee Joao Pinheiro during the Champions League clash between Bayern Munich and PSG. Copyright: Imago

Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala has reacted to the officiating in the UEFA Champions League semifinal clash between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, Soccernet.ng reports.

Bayern welcomed reigning champions PSG to the Allianz Arena looking to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg, which had ended 5-4 in favour of the French side.

While the first leg was widely praised as one of the best matches in Champions League history because of the nine-goal thriller, the return leg was totally different. Only two goals were scored as PSG secured a second consecutive Champions League final appearance and kept alive their hopes of defending the title.

The French side took the lead just three minutes into the game when Ousmane Dembele found the back of the net to make it 6-4 on aggregate.

Bayern struggled to break down a much more compact PSG defence until Harry Kane scored a late stoppage-time equalizer to earn the German side a 1-1 draw on the night.

Soccer Asisat Oshoala laments officiating in Bayern vs PSG clash

The semifinal encounter was filled with controversial refereeing decisions, many of which went against Bayern Munich. The German champions were particularly frustrated by two handball incidents that were not given in their favour in the first half.

First, referee Joao Pinheiro chose not to show Nuno Mendes a second yellow card in the 29th minute after the ball struck his outstretched arm. Instead, the referee awarded PSG a free kick after ruling that Konrad Laimer had committed a handball offence earlier in the move.

Moments later, a clearance from Vitinha struck the arm of Joao Neves inside the penalty area, but Bayern’s appeals for a penalty were waved away.

Those decisions ultimately proved costly for Bayern, as a potential red card and penalty could have changed the outcome of the tie.

Reacting to the officiating on X (formerly Twitter), Asisat Oshoala expressed her frustration and believes there are still too many mistakes in football despite the introduction of VAR.

Meanwhile, PSG have now reached a second straight Champions League final, where they will face Premier League side Arsenal in Budapest on May 30.

The Gunners booked their place in the final on Tuesday, after defeating Ademola Lookman’s Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in the other semifinal encounter.

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.

Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin