Celtic narrowly lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich at Parkhead in the Champions League, but several key moments could have changed the outcome, including a controversial penalty decision involving Arne Engels.
Engels went down under a challenge from Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano, who appeared to step on the Belgian’s toes. VAR reviewed the incident and advised referee Jesus Gil Manzano to check the monitor. Despite a thorough review, the referee ultimately ruled against awarding a penalty, reasoning that Upamecano had played the ball before the contact.
However, former Scottish FA referees Des Roache and Steve Conroy disagreed, insisting Celtic should have been awarded a penalty. Sharing their view on their “The Ref’s View” platform, they stated: “In our opinion, that’s a penalty. It doesn’t matter that the defender got the ball first—a foul is a foul. Stomping on someone’s foot is not a ‘football motion.’ If this happens in midfield, it’s always a foul.”
The decision sparked mixed reactions among pundits. Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart supported the referee’s call, arguing that VAR had correctly spotted Upamecano’s touch on the ball. Meanwhile, Pat Nevin disagreed, maintaining that it should have been a foul regardless.
Had the penalty been awarded, it could have dragged Celtic back into the game earlier. Despite the decision, Celtic eventually found the net through Daizen Maeda, who headed in Yang’s perfect cross.
The tie remains alive as Celtic prepare for the second leg at the Allianz Arena, knowing they must capitalize on every opportunity to overturn the deficit against the German giants.
