Arsenal Star Leah Williamson's Bizarre Penalty Incident Leads to Draw
An unusual handball call against Leah Williamson resulted in a penalty for Paris FC, costing Arsenal a two-goal lead in the Women's Champions League.
Arsenal defender Leah Williamson was at the center of a controversial penalty decision that allowed Paris FC to equalize in a Women's Champions League match, ultimately resulting in a 2-2 draw. The incident occurred late in the second half when Williamson appeared to pick up the ball from a pass by goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez, mistakenly believing it was a goal kick.
Arsenal had built a two-goal lead through goals from Alessia Russo in the 41st minute, ending her goalscoring drought, and Georgia Stanway in the 50th minute, her first for the club since her summer transfer from Bayern Munich. However, Paris FC pulled one back in the 70th minute before the equalizer from the penalty spot.
According to the Laws of the Game, a goal kick is in play once the ball is stationary and kicked by a defending player. Replays indicated that Rodriguez had kicked the ball to Williamson, who then handled it. As play was live, the referee ruled it a handball offense, a decision that Williamson seemed to dispute but was ultimately correct by the rules. Williamson appeared visibly distraught following the penalty, which was converted by Maeline Mendy.
Arsenal's assistant coach, Aaron D'Antino, who spoke to the media in place of manager Renee Slegers, expressed that the team did not believe it was a penalty. "We didn’t think it was a penalty, we don’t think the goal kick had actually been taken for what we had seen," D'Antino stated. "But it goes to VAR and apparently that’s a penalty. It's just passing the ball to Leah from what I remember seeing, the ball was still rolling and she was moving it to Leah for her to take the goal kicks as we normally do."
This draw adds to pressure on Slegers' squad, which has struggled in the Women's Super League this season, securing only one win in their opening four games. Despite significant summer signings like Stanway and Ona Batlle, Arsenal is seven points behind league leaders Manchester City. A loss in their upcoming match against City could severely damage their title aspirations.