Arsenal’s struggles continued in the most unexpected manner, as a bizarre handball penalty in the 87th minute allowed Paris FC to secure a 2-2 draw in the Women’s Champions League group stage. Despite building a commanding two-goal lead by the 50th minute and appearing to overcome their early-season finishing woes, the Gunners ultimately created their own downfall.
Clara Mateo pulled one back for Paris FC in the 72nd minute, but the defining moment came when 19-year-old Maeline Mendy calmly converted a penalty awarded due to an unusual incident involving Arsenal captain Leah Williamson. The sequence began when goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger (Misa) passed the ball to Williamson, who picked it up to steady it—mistakenly believing she was preparing for a goal kick. However, referees determined that since the ball had come to a complete stop, Williamson’s handling constituted a handball offense under the goal kick procedure.
While rarely called, this is a legitimate law that falls under referee discretion. According to protocol, the ball is considered in play once it is kicked and clearly moves. Since Misa had kicked rather than rolled the ball to Williamson, the stoppage resulted in a penalty for the visitors.
The rule states that during a goal kick, the ball must be stationary and can be taken from within the goal area. Once kicked, it becomes live. In this case, because the ball had fully stopped before Williamson handled it, the referee correctly interpreted the situation as a handball offense.
Paris FC, appearing in their third group or league phase campaign in the past four years, have shown steady progress, though they’ve historically struggled against English sides. This point adds to their recent momentum following their elimination of Arsenal in the 2023-24 qualifying rounds.
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For Arsenal, this marks another missed opportunity. Now with just two wins from six matches across all competitions, including three draws, the team cannot afford to continue dropping points. Their early victory over Koge feels increasingly distant as they battle to return to winning ways in both Europe and the Women’s Super League, where they trail leaders Manchester City.
The absence of Beth Mead continues to impact the squad, with Alessia Russo shouldering the attacking burden. Despite taking five shots against Paris FC, several lacked precision or originated from suboptimal positions—highlighting ongoing concerns around final-third execution.
With only the top four teams in the league phase guaranteed progression to the Champions League quarterfinals, Arsenal must address these issues quickly. Teams finishing fifth through twelfth enter a playoff round, a fate they’ll want to avoid. For now, they’ll hope to regroup and move past this unusual set piece incident as they focus on upcoming fixtures.
