Revealed: reason for not retaking Mbappé's penalty against Real Betis

Kylian Mbappé's missed penalty against Real Betis in the dying minutes of the match has sparked controversy, as goalkeeper Álvaro Fáyés saved it before Marc Bartra intervened to clear the ball to a corner, amid calls for the penalty to be retaken.

According to "Mundo Deportivo", Marc Bartra was the first Real Betis player to enter the penalty area, jumping forward to prevent Kylian Mbappé from reaching the rebound, but he was not touching the ground inside the area at the moment the French attacker took the penalty.

Thus, Bartra's entry into the penalty area was not a violation at the moment the kick was taken, as he was still in the air and had not placed his foot on the ground, a detail that settled the issue of not retaking the penalty.

Marc Bartra successfully cleared the ball to a corner after Faiz's save, preventing Kylian Mbappé from getting a second chance to shoot, before Real Betis continued their path to victory over Real Madrid.

The same source pointed out that a fraction of a second can make the difference in such cases between retaking a penalty and counting it correctly, which Marc Bartra took advantage of by acting smartly without committing any foul.