European Championship exit after missed penalty
Spain star admits handball against Germany
December 23, 2024 – 11:15 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
The quarter-finals of the European Football Championship between Germany and Spain heated up the fans’ minds. Now the Spaniard Marc Cucurella has commented again on his unpunished handball.
Marc Cucurella. German football fans will remember this name for many years to come. After all, the Spanish international sparked a huge discussion in the quarter-finals of the home European Championship against Germany. Should there have been a hand penalty for Germany or not? The fact is: Cucurella blocked a shot from Jamal Musiala with his arm in extra time of the game when the score was 1-1. However, there was no penalty for Germany – even though the Spaniard himself had expected it, as he now reveals.
He told Spanish newspaper Marca: “At that moment, yes. I thought that was it, screw it.” Cucurella now also showed understanding for the excitement in Germany: “If it had been against us, I would have protested and said it was a penalty. But it’s football.”
The 26-year-old sees the situation itself as ambivalent: “It clearly hits me on the hand, you can’t deny that. But I have it in a completely natural position, so I can’t cut it off.”
In September of this year, according to the Spanish media “Revelo”, a UEFA referee committee confirmed that Germany should have received a penalty in this scene (you can read more about the UEFA document here). However, the scene was not decisive for Cucurella, as fans in Germany still perceive it.
The Spaniard also told “Marca”: “They think that’s why they were eliminated, but there was still a lot of time left. They should have taken the penalty first. We could also have said that Kroos should have been sent off . In the end, when you lose, you’re always looking for something.” What Cucurella means: Kroos fouled Spain’s Rodri early in the game, so he had to leave the field and Dani Olmo came on for him. The former Leipzig player then shot Spain into the lead for the first time in the 51st minute.