City-PSG: Manchester fans protest denied penalty on Cherki that 'changed the match'

Manchester City lost to Paris Saint-Germain, and refereeing controversy has been simmering among some City supporters since the final whistle. At the heart of the dispute: an incident in the 9th minute inside the Paris penalty area, where Marquinhos brought down Rayan Cherki with no obvious contact with the ball. The referee allowed play to continue, and VAR did not intervene.

City fans’ frustration was amplified by what followed immediately: Désiré Doué opened the scoring for Paris, before Ousmane Dembélé doubled the lead shortly after, sealing the fate of a match that turned in a matter of minutes. For City supporters, the sequence — uncalled foul, then two goals conceded — is hard to swallow.

The decision regarding a penalty awarded to PSG late in the match for a foul on Nuno Mendes reignited tensions. Ultimately missed by Ferran Torres, that penalty seemed to many City fans far more questionable than the Marquinhos-Cherki contact ignored early in the match. On X, reactions were strong: “Cherki gets his standing leg taken out in the 9th minute with nothing, but Mendes gets a penalty on a breath at the end of the match? VAR is an absolute joke,” wrote one supporter. “The speed at which VAR dismissed the foul on Cherki is scandalous. It deserved at least a check at the touchline,” added another.

On City’s side, the refereeing question was not raised in the press conference. Enzo Maresca preferred to point to his team’s tactical shortcomings: “Until the first goal, we had started well, we were in the match. Then we conceded the first, then the second. We adjusted our pressing at half-time. Even at 3-0 in the first half, with all the chances we created, we deserved better.”

PSG, dominant in the first half according to observers, leaves with a clear victory that City fans are struggling to accept without reservation.