Fans were upset by Sterling’s simulated penalty. It probably wasn’t, but who cares, says England legend

In the Euro semi-final between Denmark and England, the first part of extra time was coming to an end when the head referee “ate” Raheem Sterling’s jump into the penalty area and awarded a penalty. The situation angered almost all football fans, except for the English ones, who are not complaining at all.

Throughout the championship, the main referees have been highly praised for their performance. They let the game flow, they didn’t make any big blunders, and they worked well with VAR when only genuine mistakes were examined.

However, Danny Makkelie left a big black mark on the refereeing in the semi-final. His blunder is all the more incomprehensible because it was approved by VAR.

In the 102nd minute, Sterling escaped down the right wing, but there were two balls on the pitch at the time. In such a situation the referee should have stopped the game, but he didn’t.

Subsequently, Sterling squeezed past two defenders and, as the slow motion footage showed, over-passed his fall. However, the referee, with the VAR’s approval, waved away the penalty and sent England through to the final.

This, of course, sparked a huge wave of discontent among fans around the world, who began calling the match a “daylight robbery.”

But England’s legendary striker Michael Owen chose a slightly different style. “Not sure if it was a penalty but who cares.”

Source: Michael Owen, Livesport