Spain and France produced a wonderful first half in their Euro 2024 semi-final clash but one thing that stood out throughout the 45 minutes was the German fans booing one of Spain’s players.
Germany were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by the Spanish in a tight affair. It took a very late goal from Mikel Merino in extra time to separate the sides but the hosts felt like they should have had a penalty before Spain’s eventual winner.
In the first half of extra time, a shot hit the hand of Marc Cucurella as it headed towards the Spanish net but the referee deemed it to not be a penalty as the Chelsea star had his hands by his side in natural position.
Germany fans were not happy with the decision at the time and in the aftermath.
With Spain taking on France in the first semi-final of Euro 2024 on Tuesday night, the locals are making their feelings known in Munich as they have booed Cucurella throughout the first half, reports Miguel Delaney.
This seems a little petty from the hosts and it is clear that they are not over the quarter-final loss.
![Jamal Musiala's shot hits the hand of Marc Cucurella](https://icdn.caughtoffside.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Cucurella-musiala.jpg)
Was the Marc Cucurella decision against Germany the correct one?
Understandably, German fans are frustrated following their elimination from Euro 2024 and are looking for reasons to explain their exit.
There has been a lot of debate around the Cucurella handball decision but it is one that the referee got correct. The Chelsea star had his hands by his side and did not make his body bigger in order to stop Musiala’s shot.
The quarter-final was decided by fine margins and Germany had other opportunities to seal their passage to the semi-finals before the controversial decision took place.