Lamine Yamal awarded controversial penalty as Spain takes lead against France

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for Spain from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute of the World Cup semi-final against France, on an action immediately contested by the French camp.

The sequence began with a cross from the left poorly handled by Lucas Digne on the opposite flank. The Aston Villa left-back, who was about to clear after controlling the ball with his head, did not see Lamine Yamal arriving and kicked him in the thigh. The contact is real and Digne’s gesture, however clumsy, is not in question.

The controversy concerns the action preceding the foul: Lamine Yamal appeared to control the ball with his left arm before being brought down. His arm was admittedly tucked against his torso, but offensive hands are generally sanctioned at this level of competition. The French staff immediately hoped for a VAR intervention, and several players, including Kylian Mbappé, came to plead their case with Salvadoran referee M. Barton. To no avail: VAR found no irregularity.

Oyarzabal took charge of converting the penalty, beating Mike Maignan who had moved the right way. Trailing 0-1, France must now overturn the situation to hope to reach the final.