Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich claims he would have ended up in the hospital if he hadn’t blocked a shot with his hand against Inter.
After avoiding a handball call against Inter in the Champions League, Bayern’s attacker has presented his version of events. Nicolo Barella’s powerful shot was blocked by Mane, who raised his palms to his face. Despite being prompted by VAR to review the footage, referee Ivan Kruzliak decided not to give a spot-kick.
“I could have gone to the hospital if I hadn’t put my hands in front of my face, obviously that wasn’t a penalty,” he told reporters after the game. “Inter are a fantastic team; they eliminated Barcelona, so they have a fantastic squad.”
The decision not to award a penalty was unexpected, and Inter will undoubtedly believe it influenced the outcome of the game. The game was scoreless at the moment, but Bayern went on to win 2-0 to keep their perfect record in the group. Before the game, both teams had already confirmed first and second place in Group C.