Szymon Marciniak on the lips of the whole world! There is a stir about the Polish judge
We have already become accustomed to the fact that a Polish referee is a recognized brand, both among UEFA and FIFA representatives. The best possible proof is the fact that it was Szymon Marciniak who refereed the last World Cup final, in Qatar in 2022. Where the Pole performed brilliantly, being one of the best on the pitch playing for the World Cup.
Champions League: Szymon Marciniak on the lips of fans after the match in MilanThe referee from Płock has been given difficult or very difficult matches to referee in recent years – with the highest stakes. It was similar on Tuesday evening, when Marciniak was the referee of the return match of the Champions League semi-final. Inter competed with FC Barcelona. After the first match, which ended in a crazy 3:3, in the second… the result was repeated. Ultimately, Inter advanced to the final, although it must be admitted that Marciniak made several difficult decisions.
"Every 50/50 decision was made in Inter's favour and that makes me sad," Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said after the match.
Can the Catalan club hold a grudge against Marciniak? It seems that they don't, although the Pole is taking flak on social media for the decisions he made. There were a few in which a potential penalty for Barcelona was at stake, where VAR ultimately changed Marciniak's correct indication to a penalty, where Lamine Yamal was fouled.
It is possible that there was also a foul in Inter's 3-3 goal, in almost the last action of the match. Then, Denzel Dumfries kicked the ball out from under the opponent's feet. Did the Dutchman do it in accordance with the rules? It seems that this situation is a typical 50/50, replays may indicate a foul, but ultimately it lacks the dynamics that were during the match, when the visiting player did not seem to be fouled.
Marciniak traditionally has to face criticism, especially since some people are accusing the Pole of sympathizing with… Real Madrid. Of course, this perspective is related to an item of clothing (i.e. a cosmetic bag) with the Royals' coat of arms, which was found on one of the archive recordings featuring the Pole.
In any case, in the end, Barcelona first lost almost certain promotion, after the aforementioned action, where Dumfries served the goal scorer, Francesco Acerbi, with a perfect pass. And in extra time, the LaLiga leader finally conceded another goal for 3:4 and said goodbye to dreams of a Champions League final.
Wojciech Szczęsny played the entire match in goal for Barcelona. Robert Lewandowski appeared on the pitch towards the end of regular time, playing the full extra time after returning from a break caused by injury. Piotr Zieliński appeared on the pitch for the winning side in the second half. Nicola Zalewski spent the entire match as a reserve.
In Wednesday's CL semi-final, Paris Saint-Germain will host Arsenal. In London, the Parisians triumphed 1-0. The Gunners' defender is Jakub Kiwior.
Read also: Polish athlete disappeared in Spain. The race against time is on Read also: Iga Świątek to leave Wimbledon? The Pole made it clear
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