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Report nowJuventus Turin fail to reach the Champions League play-offs against PSV Eindhoven. The Italians are also very unlucky. At least refereeing expert Urs Meier thinks that Juve should have been awarded a penalty at 1:1.
It's the 67th minute at the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven, the score is 1:1, Juve are on course for the round of 16 after their 2:1 first-leg win. Then there's a heated scene in the Dutch penalty area: Jerdy Schouten can't control the ball properly and runs into the legs of the onrushing Francisco Conceição. The Juve attacker goes down, but referee Slavko Vincic's whistle remains silent.
The VAR does not intervene either. Juve are thus denied the chance to decide the play-off duel with a penalty. Incomprehensible for former top referee Urs Meier. "The Eindhoven defender switches, then the Juve Ferrari comes in quickly in front and is hit on the foot," Meier analyzes the scene in the blue Sport studio. "For me, a clear penalty."
Meier is not exactly a fan of VAR and has often criticized video evidence in the past. Even on Wednesday evening, the former top referee is not in favor of the assistant referee. "It wasn't a foul, there was a goal, so the VAR should have intervened. Why didn't he do it...?" Meier asks himself, shrugging his shoulders.
The blue Sport experts Alain Sutter and Mladen Petric agree with Meier. "Mladen and I said directly during the game: 'Hey, clear penalty'. If the VAR doesn't intervene, when will it?" says Sutter. But Meier also holds the referee on the pitch accountable: "He should be able to see that himself."
Bitter for Juve: Just seven minutes after this scene, PSV Eindhoven scored to make it 2:1 and save themselves for extra time. In the end, the Dutch side prevailed and knocked Juventus out of the Champions League.
PSV could potentially upset their next Italian opponents in the next round. Eindhoven will face either Inter Milan or Arsenal London in the round of 16. The draw will take place on Friday (live on blue Zoom from 12.00 noon).
