Did Yamal get away with a handball? Why Spain’s controversial penalty was allowed against France | Football News

Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals was sealed by a crucial first-half decision that quickly became one of the tournament’s most controversial moments. Lamine Yamar won a penalty to give Spain the lead, but replays sparked widespread discussion as to whether the action should have been stopped due to possible handball in the match.

The decisive moment arrived in the 22nd minute at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. French defender Lucas Digne initially tried to control the ball in his own penalty area before clearing it on his second attempt. Instead of making clean contact with the ball, Digne grabbed the Spanish winger’s thigh and torso in the penalty area.

Oyarzabal calmly converted the penalty to give Spain the lead as France fell behind for the first time at the World Cup.

below The law states that it is considered handball if a player intentionally touches the ball with their hand or arm, or if their hand or arm makes their body “unnaturally larger”.A player is considered to be making his or her body unnaturally larger only if the position of the hand or arm is not a natural result of a specific body movement.In Yamal’s case, his elbow remains tight to his body while challenging the loose ball. The apparent contact occurred high in the sleeve area, close to what officials commonly refer to as the “T-shirt line,” which constitutes the upper limit of handball fouls under current interpretations of the law.

“It will not be called back for a possession foul. The penalty should remain. Like Harry Kane, they are committed to the challenge but they can choose not to make contact.”Former England defender Gary Neville also focused his criticism on Digne rather than the officials.“Especially when a guy looks so good on the outside, you have to know where he is. He closed off his body at the beginning and he has to know where Yamal is.

While he admitted Spain deserved the win, outgoing France boss questioned whether referee Button had met the standards required for a World Cup semi-final.“I don’t want to come across as complaining because we lost, but did the referee tonight have the quality to officiate in a World Cup semi-final?”Despite the controversy surrounding the opening goal, FIFA rules of the game, expert analysis and match officials all came to the same conclusion: Yamal did not commit a punishable handball before being fouled, making Spain’s penalty both legal and correct.