The French side endured a nightmare start to the final. Despite dominating possession after the first 15 minutes (78% to 22%), it was Arsenal who struck first. PSG conceded the opener as early as the 5th minute following a misplaced clearance by Marquinhos, which inadvertently set up Leandro Trossard. The Belgian midfielder then played a deep pass to Kai Havertz, who outpaced Matvey Safonov before unleashing a thunderous strike past the goalkeeper (5th).

Minutes later, the reigning champions thought they had leveled the score. Just after the quarter-hour mark, Bukayo Saka received a corner from Ousmane Dembélé. The England international, standing close to the edge of the box, deflected the ball with his arms before touching it a third time with his hand. PSG players immediately appealed for a penalty, but the referee, Germany’s Daniel Siebert, waved play on. The VAR also chose not to intervene.

The incident reignited debates about handball regulations. According to FIFA’s Laws of the Game, not every ball-to-hand contact constitutes an offense. A foul is only awarded if the action is deliberate or if the player has unnaturally extended their body’s surface to block the ball. In this case, Saka’s arms were clearly away from his torso, but officials likely deemed his position a natural consequence of clearing the ball.

Did Saka artificially increase his body’s covered area?

The decision sparked strong reactions online. Some fans criticized the officials, arguing that Saka had used his hands excessively. Others defended the referee, insisting the contact was unintentional and within the rules. By halftime, PSG had failed to equalize despite creating several chances, though none were truly clear-cut.