Soft penalty and possible red card for Maguire: United‑Roma controversy

Roma's 3-2 defeat to Man United in the Champions League has sparked a strong controversy over the refereeing.

Roma lost 3-2 to Man United on Tuesday (Tuesday) in the Champions League.

The disputed penalty

The penalty awarded to Man United was described as ‘very soft’ by the Italian press, which also argued that Harry Maguire deserved a red card in the second half.

Corriere dello Sport, Tuttosport and have clarified that the penalty, converted by Bruno Fernandes, originated when Matheus Cunha's left foot touched Gianluca Mancini's right knee in Roma's area.

According to Corriere, the referee punished the Italian defender for negligence, while another reading believes that Cunha lifted his foot, still striking Mancini's knee.

Meanwhile, midfielder Bryan Cristante was sanctioned for entering the penalty area, forcing the referee to grant a second attempt to Bruno Fernandes after Devis Vasquez had saved the first shot.

Both newspapers Corriere and have rated the Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano 4 out of 10, adding that the coach ‘got everything wrong’ in the second half.

Maguire's intervention

The other controversial episode involved Harry Maguire, already cautioned, who brought Santiago Castro to the ground in a way that appeared to be a blow to a sensitive area; Corriere dello Sport believed that the English defender should have received a second yellow card for unsporting behavior.