Fans left stunned after Lewandowski slammed to floor by ex-Newcastle star.. but referee and VAR fails to award penalty
FOOTBALL fans were left astonished after Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski was thrown to the floor by a Rayo Vallecano defender… but did NOT get a penalty.
The LaLiga champions were held to a 1-1 draw on Saturday as they slipped to fourth place in the table.
But Xavi‘s men will feel aggrieved they were not awarded a spot kick for a bizarre incident involving Lewandowski, 35.
With the ball nowhere near the Polish forward, Vallecano defender Florian Lejeune, 32, decided to aggressively slam Lewandowski to the floor.
Yet despite the former Newcastle man’s moment of madness, he was not penalised for the offence.
Both the referee and VAR did not award a penalty as Vallecano went unpunished.
Reacting to the incident, one person said: “These people are in wrestling in the UFC, where is the f**king VAR?
Another added: “He HURLED him to the ground.”
While a third replied: “Lejeune to Lewandowski is really nothing? It’s just incredible.”
However, there was some form of justice later in the game as Lejeune – who played 46 games for Newcastle between 2017 and 2021 – turned a Barcelona cross into his own net.
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The goal came eight minutes from the end as Vallecano’s defence was finally breached by one of their own players.
After the game, Xavi took aim at the officials for a separate incident, claiming Raphinha had been been brought down in the box in the second half.
He said: “Then I’m told I’m looking for excuses, but the foul on Raphinha is a clear penalty.
“It happened to us in Getafe, in Granada and today.
“We lost because we weren’t good in the first half, and that’s no excuse, but it’s a clear penalty.”