Controversy over midfielder Martinez becoming Man Utd’s criminal

(Dan Tri) – Central defender Lisandro Martinez became Man Utd’s criminal when he let the ball touch his hand in the penalty area, leading to the `Red Devils`’ only loss against Real Sociedad.

After an impressive victory over Arsenal last weekend, Man Utd appeared deadlocked in their opening match in the Europa League group stage against Real Sociedad this morning (September 9) and no goals were scored in the first half.

Coach Erik Ten Hag sent midfielder Lisandro Martinez onto the field in the second half, but the player voted Man Utd’s best in recent rounds turned into a criminal for the home team.

Martinez’s situation caused the home team to receive a penalty after trying to block David Silva’s shot (Photo: Getty).

In the 57th minute, midfielder Silva shot in the penalty area, the ball hit Lisandro Martinez’s foot and then hit his arm.

After talking over the radio with the VAR referee team, Mr. Di Bello maintained the decision to give the La Liga representative a penalty.

Captain Harry Maguire received a yellow card after the referee’s decision-making error (Photo: Getty).

The referee’s decision faced opposition from fans and experts.

`The VAR team made a shameful decision. I don’t understand why Man Utd had to take a penalty in this situation,` writer Niall McGrarth commented.

`How did you blow a penalty in this situation? It’s clear that the ball touched Martinez’s foot and then hit his hand. The law is so clear, but why did the referee still ignore it?`, one fan expressed his anger.

`It was never a penalty. We just don’t understand,` another fan added.

Man Utd suffered defeat on the opening day of the Europa League group stage after Martinez’s controversial situation (Photo: Getty).

Meanwhile, British journalist Daniel Blanco supported the referee’s decision: `In this situation, Martinez extended his arms away from his body to occupy a space in front of the goal. Perhaps this is the reason Mr.

`The penalty was right because Martinez intentionally spread his arms wide,` a fan commented.

Notably, in the match against Real Sociedad, coach Erik Ten Hag ranked C.Ronaldo as the starter from the start.