The Italian Daniele Orsato refereed very well in the Champions League Final between PSG & Bayern Münich which saw the Germans coming out on top to achieve the second treble of their history (2013, 2020).
A match that had no major incidents, one mass confrontation and a couple of small penalty appeals, all managed very well by the Italian and his team.
The Officials
Referee: Daniele Orsato
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hațegan
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati
AVAR: Marco Guida, Alejandro Hernández Hernández 
Offside VAR: Roberto Díaz Pérez Del Palomar
First half
The first episode worth reviewing is the first yellow card in the 27th minute for the Canadian Bayern player Alphonso Davies. Easy episode, caution for Stopping a Promising Attack, Orsato in a perfect position to make the call despite the quick break towards Bayern’s goal. His Assistant Manganelli in a perfect position right near the foul as well ready to help him if needed.
As we can see, if Kehrer wasn’t fouled by Davies, he would have found himself in the Penalty Area with 2 teammates offering passing options between the penalty spot and the penalty area arch with only 2 defenders and Neuer to beat (although he’s proven once again it is not that easy to beat him…!). All the considerations are met for this to be a promising attack. Correct the decision to caution the Canadian.
The first half was played at a very high tempo, and was end to end throughout. Both teams were disciplined and no other major incidents occurred until the end of the first half.
43 seconds into added time, Coman went down just outside the goal area following a slight touch on his shoulder by Kehrer.
The PSG player put a hand on Coman’s shoulder but the hold was not enough to impact the attacker’s run. Kehrer took a silly risk by doing it, but his action did not cause the German to fall. These type of contacts almost never result in fouls, especially in international matches. Rightly so: a slight touch on a shoulder should not result in a fall like this, football is a contact sport therefore contact is allowed as long as it doesn’t unfairly impact an opponent’s abilities. Bayern players complained in a very civil manner as this was the episode that closed the first half, and the referee did well in managing the situatio in a very calm and poised way. Correct decision.
A note on VAR: in this episode, whether the referee awarded the penalty or not, VAR wouldn’t have been able to suggest an On Field Review (OFR) as this was a call made by the referee according to his opinion and wasn’t a clear an obvious mistake. Hence almost no time spent on a check by VAR Irrati, who is one of the best Video Assistant Referees in the world (his resume as VAR lists 2018 World Cup Final, 2019 Europa League Final and now 2020 Champions League Final).
Second half
The second half started and the temperature of the game raised, wit appeared PSG were nervous. This all culminated in a mass confrontation in the 51st minute.
It all started a minute earlier with a challenge by Goretska on Neymar, that was followed by a small confrontation with the two main disruptors being Paredes (PSG) and Gnabry (Bayern), quickly controlled by both Orsato and Manganelli.
Great teamwork by the officials to calm everyone down. Also correct the decision not to take any disciplinary sanction as, at this moment, there was no need for it.
Not 2 minutes later, and Gnabry was guilty of a late reckless tackle on Neymar. As Orsato was rushing to the area of the incident to caution the German (he can be seen with his hand in his pocket reaching for his yellow card in the screenshot below), Paredes pushed Gnabry to retaliate. What followed was a mass confrontation involving many players from both teams.
Once again the officials dealt with the situation really well. Not only Manganelli and Orsato, but also Hategan (4th Official) got involved to help as the incident was right in front of him. The position didn’t help with the situation as the technical area occupants would have inflamed the spirits of the players on the field of play. As referees, we know that the technical areas are called the ‘third penalty area’ for this very reason.
Once the situation calmed down, Orsato correctly cautioned 1 player from each team: The original offender, Gnabry, and the perpetrator, Paredes for unsporting behaviour for retaliating after the foul.
The situation was under control and the referee put a final nail in the coffin on any nerves 4 minutes later, with a very well timed yellow card to Süle for a reckless tackle, once again right in front of the technical areas. The yellow card was administered quickly, quick chat with the offender to defuse his complains and control of the game was perfectly preserved.
A few minutes later, Lewandowski should have been cautioned for a reckless tackle on Paredes, once again at centre of the action. The Polish striker completely mistimes his challenge and strikes with his studs the achilles of his opponent. His leg was slightly bent, not putting much force into the tackle and the speed was relatively low.
An indication on the ability to regain control after the mass confrontation in the previous minutes, was that Paredes, one of the players involved with the previous incident, kept his complains to a minimum and accepted the referee’s decision of not cautioning Lewandowski despite the challenge being worthy of a caution.
In the 73rd minute PSG players were expecting a penalty kick for a challenge on Mbappe. Orsato was in a great position and showed a great running ability after sprinting the whole length of the Field of Play to keep up with a quick Parisian counter attacker. The only potential issue with his position, was the presence of a German defender in his line of vision, which didn’t seem to impact him as he very confidently waved off any penalty appeal.
As per the challenge, there was contact between the Bayern defender and Mbappe’s foot. The Frenchman kicks the ball first and almost simultaneously gets slightly kicked by his opponent. This is a very small contact and we have seen contacts like this given before. In all honesty, there is not enough in this episode to award a foul: Mbappe was already reaching out with his leg to kick the ball hence being out of balance, the German defender’s touch wasn’t enough to warrant a foul. Once again: Football is a contact sport, this touch wasn’t enough to impact the strikers actions. Correct decision not giving the penalty.
An interesting note on this episode: Orsato points at the ball after the challenge. This could lead to think he didn’t see the touch, as the above screenshot show, as the German defender did not touch the ball. So could have VAR intervened if they thought that challenge was worth a penalty kick? Potentially. If the Bayern defender prevented the referee from having a clear view of the contact by being in his way, it could have been classified as clear an obvious mistake, provided the contact was an obvious offence. The fact this contact is not, and shouldn’t, be a foul meant VAR didn’t have to get involved, correctly.
From the 80th to the 85th minute, PSG players started showing their frustration at the score, giving away 3 yellow cards, all correct.
The first one was a Neymar reckless tackle on Lewandowski. A clear frustration foul in the middle of the field of play, recklessly kicking his opponent on his shin while challenging from the side.
The second one was a SPA on Thiago Silva. Lewandowski is sprinting towards goal, dribble past his opponent who carelessly trips him.
The polish player would have found himself in full control of the ball, going slightly away from goal, with two PSG defenders potentially being able to challenge for the ball.
The third one was another reckless tackle by Kurzawa on Kimmich. The French player stomps his studs on his opponent’s foot. This is pretty much an automatic caution for a reckless challenge.
One last curious episode from an educational point of view happened late into added time, in the 90+4 minute: Muller holds Mbappe shirt’s sleeve, Orsato plays advantage and, once the ball was out of play on the other side of the pitch, he cautioned the German player for showing a lack of respect for the game for holding.
First: Why was this a foul and the hold on Coman’s shoulder wasn’t? Very simple: Kehrer only laid his hand on Coman’s shoulder, he didn’t clearly hold his shirt like Muller does. This foul is not normal football contacnt, holding a shirt is not a contact expected nor accepted by football.
Second: if this wasn’t showing lack of respect for the game, but still a SPA offence, the referee shouldn’t have given a yellow card. As per Law 12 20/21 changes, this was clarified, as it has been for years a grey area in refereeing:
Unfortunately for Muller, he was guilty of both trying to Stop a Promising Attack and Showing a Lack of Respect for the Game, which he was cautioned for.
Overall a good performance by the whole refereeing team, who managed to stay on top of a very intense first half without becoming the centre of attention and facilitating a really enjoyable final. Well done to Daniele Orsato and his team!
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A match that had no major incidents, one mass confrontation and a couple of small penalty appeals, all managed very well by the Italian and his team.
The Officials
Referee: Daniele Orsato
Assistant Referee 1: Lorenzo Manganelli
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Giallatini
Fourth Official: Ovidiu Hațegan
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati
AVAR: Marco Guida
, Alejandro Hernández Hernández Offside VAR: Roberto Díaz Pérez Del Palomar
First half
The first episode worth reviewing is the first yellow card in the 27th minute for the Canadian Bayern player Alphonso Davies. Easy episode, caution for Stopping a Promising Attack, Orsato in a perfect position to make the call despite the quick break towards Bayern’s goal. His Assistant Manganelli in a perfect position right near the foul as well ready to help him if needed.
As we can see, if Kehrer wasn’t fouled by Davies, he would have found himself in the Penalty Area with 2 teammates offering passing options between the penalty spot and the penalty area arch with only 2 defenders and Neuer to beat (although he’s proven once again it is not that easy to beat him…!). All the considerations are met for this to be a promising attack. Correct the decision to caution the Canadian.
The first half was played at a very high tempo, and was end to end throughout. Both teams were disciplined and no other major incidents occurred until the end of the first half.
43 seconds into added time, Coman went down just outside the goal area following a slight touch on his shoulder by Kehrer.
The PSG player put a hand on Coman’s shoulder but the hold was not enough to impact the attacker’s run. Kehrer took a silly risk by doing it, but his action did not cause the German to fall. These type of contacts almost never result in fouls, especially in international matches. Rightly so: a slight touch on a shoulder should not result in a fall like this, football is a contact sport therefore contact is allowed as long as it doesn’t unfairly impact an opponent’s abilities. Bayern players complained in a very civil manner as this was the episode that closed the first half, and the referee did well in managing the situatio in a very calm and poised way. Correct decision.
A note on VAR: in this episode, whether the referee awarded the penalty or not, VAR wouldn’t have been able to suggest an On Field Review (OFR) as this was a call made by the referee according to his opinion and wasn’t a clear an obvious mistake. Hence almost no time spent on a check by VAR Irrati, who is one of the best Video Assistant Referees in the world (his resume as VAR lists 2018 World Cup Final, 2019 Europa League Final and now 2020 Champions League Final).
Second half
The second half started and the temperature of the game raised, wit appeared PSG were nervous. This all culminated in a mass confrontation in the 51st minute.
It all started a minute earlier with a challenge by Goretska on Neymar, that was followed by a small confrontation with the two main disruptors being Paredes (PSG) and Gnabry (Bayern), quickly controlled by both Orsato and Manganelli.
Great teamwork by the officials to calm everyone down. Also correct the decision not to take any disciplinary sanction as, at this moment, there was no need for it.
Not 2 minutes later, and Gnabry was guilty of a late reckless tackle on Neymar. As Orsato was rushing to the area of the incident to caution the German (he can be seen with his hand in his pocket reaching for his yellow card in the screenshot below), Paredes pushed Gnabry to retaliate. What followed was a mass confrontation involving many players from both teams.
Once again the officials dealt with the situation really well. Not only Manganelli and Orsato, but also Hategan (4th Official) got involved to help as the incident was right in front of him. The position didn’t help with the situation as the technical area occupants would have inflamed the spirits of the players on the field of play. As referees, we know that the technical areas are called the ‘third penalty area’ for this very reason.
Once the situation calmed down, Orsato correctly cautioned 1 player from each team: The original offender, Gnabry, and the perpetrator, Paredes for unsporting behaviour for retaliating after the foul.
The situation was under control and the referee put a final nail in the coffin on any nerves 4 minutes later, with a very well timed yellow card to Süle for a reckless tackle, once again right in front of the technical areas. The yellow card was administered quickly, quick chat with the offender to defuse his complains and control of the game was perfectly preserved.
A few minutes later, Lewandowski should have been cautioned for a reckless tackle on Paredes, once again at centre of the action. The Polish striker completely mistimes his challenge and strikes with his studs the achilles of his opponent. His leg was slightly bent, not putting much force into the tackle and the speed was relatively low.
An indication on the ability to regain control after the mass confrontation in the previous minutes, was that Paredes, one of the players involved with the previous incident, kept his complains to a minimum and accepted the referee’s decision of not cautioning Lewandowski despite the challenge being worthy of a caution.
In the 73rd minute PSG players were expecting a penalty kick for a challenge on Mbappe. Orsato was in a great position and showed a great running ability after sprinting the whole length of the Field of Play to keep up with a quick Parisian counter attacker. The only potential issue with his position, was the presence of a German defender in his line of vision, which didn’t seem to impact him as he very confidently waved off any penalty appeal.
As per the challenge, there was contact between the Bayern defender and Mbappe’s foot. The Frenchman kicks the ball first and almost simultaneously gets slightly kicked by his opponent. This is a very small contact and we have seen contacts like this given before. In all honesty, there is not enough in this episode to award a foul: Mbappe was already reaching out with his leg to kick the ball hence being out of balance, the German defender’s touch wasn’t enough to warrant a foul. Once again: Football is a contact sport, this touch wasn’t enough to impact the strikers actions. Correct decision not giving the penalty.
An interesting note on this episode: Orsato points at the ball after the challenge. This could lead to think he didn’t see the touch, as the above screenshot show, as the German defender did not touch the ball. So could have VAR intervened if they thought that challenge was worth a penalty kick? Potentially. If the Bayern defender prevented the referee from having a clear view of the contact by being in his way, it could have been classified as clear an obvious mistake, provided the contact was an obvious offence. The fact this contact is not, and shouldn’t, be a foul meant VAR didn’t have to get involved, correctly.
From the 80th to the 85th minute, PSG players started showing their frustration at the score, giving away 3 yellow cards, all correct.
The first one was a Neymar reckless tackle on Lewandowski. A clear frustration foul in the middle of the field of play, recklessly kicking his opponent on his shin while challenging from the side.
The second one was a SPA on Thiago Silva. Lewandowski is sprinting towards goal, dribble past his opponent who carelessly trips him.
The polish player would have found himself in full control of the ball, going slightly away from goal, with two PSG defenders potentially being able to challenge for the ball.
The third one was another reckless tackle by Kurzawa on Kimmich. The French player stomps his studs on his opponent’s foot. This is pretty much an automatic caution for a reckless challenge.
One last curious episode from an educational point of view happened late into added time, in the 90+4 minute: Muller holds Mbappe shirt’s sleeve, Orsato plays advantage and, once the ball was out of play on the other side of the pitch, he cautioned the German player for showing a lack of respect for the game for holding.
First: Why was this a foul and the hold on Coman’s shoulder wasn’t? Very simple: Kehrer only laid his hand on Coman’s shoulder, he didn’t clearly hold his shirt like Muller does. This foul is not normal football contacnt, holding a shirt is not a contact expected nor accepted by football.
Second: if this wasn’t showing lack of respect for the game, but still a SPA offence, the referee shouldn’t have given a yellow card. As per Law 12 20/21 changes, this was clarified, as it has been for years a grey area in refereeing:
Unfortunately for Muller, he was guilty of both trying to Stop a Promising Attack and Showing a Lack of Respect for the Game, which he was cautioned for.
Overall a good performance by the whole refereeing team, who managed to stay on top of a very intense first half without becoming the centre of attention and facilitating a really enjoyable final. Well done to Daniele Orsato and his team!
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