Devis Vázquez saves a penalty from Bruno Fernandes, but his save is disallowed by the referee for a foul on Bryan Cristante. This happened in the second half of the Champions League match between Manchester United and Roma, when Jesus Gil Manzano ordered a replay of United's penalty due to the yellow midfielder entering the area prematurely. Fernandes scored on his second attempt, narrowing the gap to 1-2. A decision that is explained by an almost invisible detail: the position of Cristante's foot in relation to the area line at the moment of the shot.
The episode begins in the 55th minute, when Matheus Cunha goes down after a contact with Gianluca Mancini. Gil Manzano awards a penalty, which is confirmed after a VAR check. Bruno Fernandes puts the ball in the penalty spot, but Vázquez waits for the shot. The ball is returned to Cristante, who clears it. The referee, however, stops everything and orders the shot to be retaken, which is then converted into a goal by the United captain.
Why the penalty was repeated: Cristante's foot on the penalty area line
The explanation of the referee's decision is found in Law 14 of the IFAB. When a kick is taken from the penalty mark, all players, except the kicker and the goalkeeper, must remain outside the penalty area until the ball is kicked. And the white line is considered part of the penalty area itself.
There is then a second crucial element. Since 2024, the regulations no longer automatically penalize every premature entry into the penalty area: for the penalty to be repeated, the infringement by the defending player must have consequences in the action. This is precisely what happens when a player who has entered the penalty area illegally interferes with the ball returned by the goalkeeper and prevents the opponents from taking advantage of a potential goal-scoring opportunity.
And that's exactly what happened at Old Trafford. Cristante is the player who clears the ball after Vázquez's save. If, as assessed by the match officials and as is apparent from the film footage, his foot was already on the area line before Bruno Fernandes' execution, the penalty retake is in accordance with Law 14. Thus, the Colombian goalkeeper's save stands, but cannot be considered valid for the purpose of the result.
