Why was Beth Mead's first penalty disallowed? New Euro 2025 rule explained

The Irish Sun

5 days ago

THE Lionesses retained their Euro title with a historic victory over world champions Spain, but it was not without controversy.
In a dramatic penalty shoot-out, Beth Mead was
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Mead was visibly frustrated with the outcome of the new rule
Credit: Getty
Why was Beth Mead's first penalty disallowed?
Penalties are stressful at the best of times, let alone in a Euro final and even more so when the first one is ruled out.
Second-half substitute Mead found the back of the net with England's first kick, firing the ball down the middle of Spain goalkeeper Catalina Coll's goal.
However, during the kick, Mead had slipped over, and moments later, the
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Mead slipped on the grass, hitting the ball with her standing leg
Credit: Getty
A review of her first penalty found that when she slipped on the grass, Mead had accidentally kicked the ball twice, hitting it against her standing foot.
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Normally, in situations like this, Mead's penalty would have been chalked off, with no chance to retake, but the
What is the rule in detail?
The decision was made to introduce the double-touch rule after a controversial shootout in the men's Champions League this season.
were knocked out of Europe's elite competition by
in the last-16 after a
following a VAR check.
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Alvarez slipped while taking his penalty, meaning Atletico Madrid got knocked out
The striker had slipped when running up to shoot and subsequently double-touched the ball with both feet and VAR deemed it an illegal kick.
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Atletico went on to lose the match 4-2 on penalties, sparking a
from
Diego Simeone
and fans.
The outrage over the incident prompted the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to alter Law 14.
IFAB acknowledged it would be unfair not to penalise a double touch at all and allow such kicks to stand as a goal, because goalkeepers can be disadvantaged by the altered trajectory of the ball
, and so instead, the offending player would be given a second chance.
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How did the rest of the penalties play out?
For the Lionesses, Mead's second chance was saved, but thankfully, this did not matter.
It was the second time in the tournament's history that the final had come down to penalties, and safe to say it was a nail-biter, especially considering the absence of star player
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Bronze revealed after the final she had played the whole tournament with a broken leg
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But it was
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Kelly lifted the trophy for the second time in three years after scoring the winner
Credit: EPA
Following their success, the King hailed
He said: 'The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!'
And anything is possible after the Lionesses became the first senior England football team to