The penalty that helped Manchester United overturn Roma’s two-goal lead at Old Trafford continues to draw criticism, with questions surrounding both the original decision and the retake that followed Devis Vásquez’s save.
UEFA’s website has offered an explanation for the second of those decisions: Bryan Cristante entered the penalty area before Bruno Fernandes struck the ball.
The clarification concerns the retake alone. It does not address referee Gil Manzano’s decision to penalise Gianluca Mancini for his contact with Matheus Cunha.
Cristante’s encroachment cited as reason for retake
Vásquez initially denied Fernandes from the spot, briefly preserving Roma’s 2–0 advantage. The penalty was then ordered to be taken again, and the United captain converted his second attempt.
According to the explanation published on UEFA’s website:
“It was retaken because Bryan Cristante entered the penalty area early, before the ball had actually been kicked by Fernandes, who therefore had to take it a second time.”
The goal brought United back into the match. The hosts subsequently scored twice more to complete a 3–2 comeback, leaving Roma without a point after leading by two goals at half-time.
Original penalty decision remains disputed
The initial award followed contact between Mancini and Cunha inside the area, with the Brazilian going to ground and Gil Manzano pointing to the spot.
The apparent lightness of the contact has been central to the criticism of the decision. UEFA’s published explanation, however, provides no further clarification of why that challenge was judged to warrant a penalty.
That distinction matters: the explanation identifies why Fernandes was allowed a second attempt, but leaves the debate over the original award unresolved.
For Roma, it was a pivotal sequence in another European defeat from a winning position. Vásquez’s save appeared to have stopped United’s route back into the game, only for the retake to restore the home side’s momentum.
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