23 February 2023 , 20:53
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Barcelona were handed a slice of fortune during their Europa League play-off against Manchester United after they were awarded a soft penalty.
Alejandro Balde, the latest prodigy to emerge from the famed La Masia academy, went down in the box under the challenge of Bruno Fernandes while running away from goal. Fernandes was holding the 19-year-old's arm and French referee Clement Turpin judged there was enough contact for a prolonged period to justify pointing the spot.
The Old Trafford faithful might have felt they had enough cause for anger over the penalty being awarded, but fans were even more furious with Robert Lewandowski. The prolific Pole, 34, converted from 12 yards after a winding, stuttering run-up which many supporters viewed as illegal as he almost stopped moving entirely at one stage.
"LEWANDOWSKI FULLY STOPPED DURING THE RUN-UP THAT'S ILLEGAL," one furious fan wrote on Twitter while tagging the official Europa League account. A number of other supporters pointed out the same thing on social media, and their concern was shared by rival fans.
"Did Lewandowski stop there?" a Twitter user asked, while another wrote came down harder on the former Bayern Munich talisman by writing: "Surely Lewandowski came to a complete stop during that run-up?"
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Adding insult to injury for United fans, David de Gea almost pulled off a heroic save which would have kept the aggregate score 2-2. The Spaniard sprung to his left and got a hand to Lewandowski's questionable penalty, but only succeeded in palming the ball into the corner.
Did Robert Lewandowski stop during his run-up? Have your say in the comments!
Robert Lewandowski produced a stuttering run-up during which he almost came to a complete stop (beIN Sports)Regardless of whether fans thought the Poland international came to a complete stop - which is not permitted - or not, they were largely united in criticising Lewandowski's technique. One supporter from Germany took a different view, however, perhaps having seen the player's effectiveness from the spot during his time with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern. Responding to criticism of the Barcelona No.9, the fan wrote: "Why strange pen? Lewandowski does a run-up like that all the time if that's what you talking about."
Speaking on co-commentary duty for BT Sport, Robbie Savage said: " That technique that Lewandowski uses, you're right, David de Gea made a right effort to try and save it. So unlucky for David de Gea. You just see David de Gea hesitate, just waiting for Lewandowski to see where he's gonna put it, and he just stumbled a little bit."
Lewandowski's controversial penalty and the dubious awarding of the spot kick contributed to a hugely frustrating first half for the Red Devils. United felt hard done by over numerous refereeing decisions and the feverish Old Trafford crowd grew increasingly hostile towards the referee.