Why did Joao Neves miss a penalty against Bayern Munich?

Bayern Munich’s players, coaching staff and fans at the Allianz Arena were in disbelief in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain after being denied a penalty by Joao Neves for handball.

Following the 1-0 winners in the evening And 6-4 on aggregate, Germany’s players surrounded referee João Pedro Silva Pinheiro at half-time when Vitinha kicked a free-kick into the arm of his own team-mate Neves in the box.

But after Pinheiro’s protest against Bayern’s video assistant referee (VAR) failed to intervene, social media questioned why the point was not awarded.

As BBC Sport’s Football Correspondent Dale Johnson reports, it was because there was a little-known free in the rules of handball.

According to the Laws of the Game, “If a team hits the ball in the hand/hand (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player immediately scores a goal if a direct penalty is awarded to another team)” it is not a handball.

“When the ball is suddenly hit by your team, it covers, even if your arm is away from your body – the rule is that you don’t have to give a penalty,” Johnson said.

“When Vitinha blasts the ball cleanly, can Joao Neves think the ball is going straight at him?

“Of course, this can be an intentional handball, but in this case, it is not expected that he will receive a penalty.”