Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the semi-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was shaped by a key decision in the first leg that became one of the most controversial matches of the tournament. Lamine Yamal won the penalty that gave Spain the lead, but replays sparked much debate over whether the move had been ruled out for handball in the build-up.
The event that changed the semi-final
The decisive moment came in the 22nd minute at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. France defender Lucas Digne initially tried to control the loose ball in his own penalty area before trying to clear it again at the second attempt.When Digne swung his right foot, Yamal went past his blind side and got to the ball first. Instead of making good contact with the ball, Digne caught the Spanish winger on the thigh and torso inside the area.
France’s Lucas Digne challenges Spain’s Lamine Yamal during the World Cup final in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Referee Iván Barton immediately pointed to the spot of the shot.Oyarzabal calmly dispatched the ball to give Spain the lead, setting up the first time France had gone behind in their World Cup campaign.
Why handball claims did not change the decision
Most of the controversy was not about Digne’s problems but about what happened a second earlier.Replays appeared to show the ball rubbing off Yamal’s arm as he struggled to retrieve it, prompting many supporters to claim that Spain should have been penalized for handball.On the floor IFAB Law 12 (Fouls and Fouls)however, not every contact between the ball and a player’s arm is a foul.The rules state that a handball player intentionally touches the ball with his hand or arm, or if his hand or arm causes his body to be “unnaturally large.”A player is considered to have extended his body unnaturally when the position of the hand or arm is not natural for the movement of the body.For Yamal, his elbow remained firmly in line with his body and challenged the loose ball. The apparent contact occurred above the hand, near what officials call the “T-shirt line,” which forms the upper limit of handball offenses according to the latest interpretation of the Laws.Because Yamal’s arm was natural and not used to grow his body, there was no punishment for the offense.Having not been fouled by Spain in the past, Digne’s tackle on Yamal was the only foul, making the decision correct under IFAB rules.
Legal experts and experts supported the judge
ITV Sport pundit Christina Unkel agreed with the pitch and explained why the contact did not constitute a handball.“It’s a good analysis to look at this, the contact is on Yamal’s hand, it can’t be considered part of the arm,” Unkel said.“This can’t be remembered for the offense. The punishment must remain. Like Harry Kane, he committed himself to the challenge, but he has the opportunity not to connect.”Former England defender Gary Neville also focused his criticism on Digne rather than the authorities.“Yes,” Neville replied when asked if Digne should have known more about Yamal’s movements.“Especially as a smart person out there, you need to know where he is. He’s locked his body first, he needs to know where Yamal is.“Modric and Kane did it, but they need to know more about him. They don’t even know he’s there, they don’t have the knowledge.”Both analysts pointed to the penalties given at the beginning of the tournament in which Harry Kane faced Mexico and Luka Modrić against England, noting that when defenders face problems and connect within the penalty, they accept the risk of conceding the ball.
Deschamps was not affected after leaving France
France manager Didier Deschamps was not impressed with the manager after the final whistle.Despite conceding that Spain deserved to win, the outgoing France coach questioned whether referee Barton had met the criteria for a World Cup match.“I’m asking you, and I’m not answering,” said Deschamps.“I don’t want to sound like a complainer because we lost, but does the referee of yesterday today have the quality to officiate a World Cup semi-final?”When asked if he was only referring to the penalty, Deschamps replied: “It is not the only penalty that is being asked for, it is a collection of things.”He later admitted that France were second best on the night, admitting that his players were “devastated” to realize that Spain had dominated the game so technically.Although there was a dispute about the opening goal, the IFAB Laws of the Game, the analysis of the experts and the match officials all confirmed the same fact: Yamal did not commit a penalized handball before the foul was committed, which made the Spanish penalty legal and appropriate.