Ibrahima Konate maintained his innocence after VAR spared him during Liverpool's victory against Paris Saint-Germain. The Reds clinched a narrow 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening, thanks to a late goal from Harvey Elliott, despite PSG dominating most of the match. However, the outcome could have been different had the hosts been awarded a penalty following an incident between Konate and Bradley Barcola. The French defender seemed to bring down his opponent who was on a clear run towards goal.
Neither a penalty nor a red card were initially given, and Konate was also let off the hook upon a VAR review. This decision infuriated PSG chief Luis Campos, who was heard exclaiming: "It's a red card or penalty in every part of the world" at referee Davide Massa in the tunnel. Konate has since commented on the incident, asserting that PSG did not deserve a penalty. Speaking to Canal Plus, he stated: "There was a VAR check. If there was a push, like you said, I would have been shown a red card.
"I'm telling you that there wasn't a foul. It's true that I am very strong but I don't apply power, I just put my arm. If I had put a lot more power into it then we could talk about it... but it was soft from me."
While Konate and Campos made their views on the incident abundantly clear, others offered more measured responses.
PSG midfielder Vitinha conceded that the absence of a penalty was no excuse for the French champions' defeat.
"It's difficult to tell, I was far away so I couldn't see it," he saod. "We're not going to hide behind that."
PSG boss Luis Enrique kept his opinions on the refereeing matter reserved as he stated: "I don't really like to speak about refereeing."
Slot was effusive in his commendation of referee Massa's performance, acknowledging the challenge of officiating at such a match. He said: "It's not easy if you are a referee in a game like this when the fans are so there for the home team. I don't feel he was in favour of us or in favour of them, I think he was a top referee in a game like this."
The stage is set for Liverpool and PSG to clash once again next week, as they each strive to secure a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The victors will confront either Aston Villa or Club Brugge, with Villa currently leading 3-1 from the first leg.
This article first appeared on The Mirror.