England were awarded a penalty in the Euro 2024 semi-final clash against the Netherlands following a 'reckless tackle.'
Harry Kane stepped up from the spot to give England the equaliser after VAR called referee Felix Zwayer to review the incident from the monitor. Denzel Dumfries was later adjudged to have committed a reckless foul on Kane.
The decision left ITV's rules analyst and VAR expert Christina Unkel 'astonished' that VAR asked referee Zwayer to review the decision. Replying to Sam Matterface, she said: "I am. So one of the surprising things here is yes, is there a studs contact by Dumfries onto the top of the boot of Kane? Correct.
"However, Kane is getting the shot off completely, his momentum is following him through. I am quite surprised that this is being sent because it is not a clear and obvious error, and in fact the preferred recommendation is for this not to be a penalty."
A message on a screen in the stadium read: "Penalty - foul. Netherlands' player number 22 made a reckless tackle against the opponent while attempting to play the ball."
However, ITV commentator Lee Dixon believes that a penalty should not have been awarded. "I'm pleased, don't get me wrong but you have to challenge for the ball," he said. "I don't think it's a penalty but I don't care."
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Jamie Carragher also agreed with Dixon, as he took to X: "Never a penalty," followed by two laughing emojis. Kane scored his third goal for the Three Lions in the tournament so far.
There were some concerns over Zwayer's appointment for the game after the referee served a six-month ban for his role in a match-fixing scandal in 2005 after accepting a bribe from another referee, Robert Hoyzer.
Jude Bellingham has previously clashed with the German during a match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich three years ago. At the time, Bellingham, who was playing for Dortmund, criticised Zwayer by saying: "You give a referee that has match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany? What do you expect?"
The England international received a £34,000 fine for his comments, while the referee took a two-month break following the controversy.
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