Leah Williamson's handball in the 87th minute gave Paris FC vs Arsenal's UWCL meeting a dramatic ending on Wednesday. What looked like a comfortable road win in the UEFA Women's Champions League Matchday 2 turned into a 2-2 draw after a bizarre late penalty at Stade Jean-Bouin.
What Led to the Arsenal Penalty Call on UWCL Matchday 2?
The sequence started from a routine goal kick. Goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez rolled the ball short to Williamson inside the six-yard box. But the referee had already blown her whistle to signal play was live. When the Arsenal captain picked the ball up with her hands, the official immediately pointed to the spot.
VAR reviewed the call and let it stand. Substitute Maeline Mendy then buried the penalty into the bottom-left corner to complete Paris FC's comeback.
"The ball was still rolling and she was moving it to Leah for her to take the goal-kicks as we normally do," assistant coach Aaron D’Antino said after the match. "But as far as we’re concerned, that’s not a penalty… We haven’t taken a goal-kick, there’s no advantage gained by Leah stopping the ball."
Before the collapse, Arsenal had controlled much of the match. Alessia Russo broke through in the 41st minute, firing into the bottom corner. Georgia Stanway doubled the lead shortly after, volleying home off an Emily Fox delivery.
Still, Paris FC clawed back through Clara Mateo's 72nd-minute finish on the counter. Mendy's late penalty completed the turnaround and denied Arsenal all three points coming off the UWCL's second matchday.
