German hate object

Cucurella on European Championship handball: “Thought that was it!”

Almost five months after the controversial handball in the European Championship quarter-final between Germany and the eventual European champions Spain, Marc Cucurella has admitted that he would have expected a penalty whistle during the game! "At that moment, yes. I thought that was it," the defender told the Spanish newspaper "Marca".

He understands the controversy in Germany, said Cucurella. "If it had been against us, I would have protested and said it was a penalty. But it's soccer," said the 26-year-old, who is undecided about the scene: "He clearly hit me on the hand, you can't deny it. But I have it in a completely natural position, I can't cut it off."

"They should have scored the penalty first"
 The incident occurred after Jamal Musiala's shot in the 106th minute at 1:1. Spain finally scored the winning goal shortly before the end of extra time to make it 2:1. In retrospect, UEFA admitted that it had been a wrong decision.

However, Cucurella does not want to talk about the decisive scene of the game: "They think that's why they were eliminated, but there was still a lot of time left. They should have scored the penalty first. We could also have said that Kroos should have been sent off. In the end, when you lose, you're always looking for something."