Fans have praised referee Daniele Orsato for a 'brilliant decision' during Borussia Dortmund's Champions League semi-final win against PSG from smart goals free handout Watch Video

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✓ Published: 08-May-2024

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Fans have praised referee Daniele Orsato for a 'brilliant decision' during Borussia Dortmund's Champions League semi-final win against PSG - but Rio Ferdinand doesn't agree. <br/><br/>Orsato initially awarded a penalty to PSG after Mats Hummels' challenge on Ousmane Dembele on the edge of the area 65 minutes into the match. <br/><br/>The initial contact with Dembele's left foot appeared to be just outside the area, but he fell into it, and Ferdinand felt it was a penalty. <br/><br/>However, the Italian changed his mind within a couple of seconds and awarded a free-kick instead, with fans praising his hawk-like eye and quick decision-making. <br/><br/>A throng of PSG players immediately surrounded him to protest the switch but Orsato stood by his call.<br/><br/>Dortmund were leading 1-0 in the match after a Mats Hummels header and were up 2-0 on aggregate, a scoreline they eventually won by. VAR confirmed that Orsato's decision was correct. <br/><br/>Ferdinand led the criticism on TNT Sports, saying: 'This is a penalty. His left toe is on the line. That’s a pen. The left foot is on the line where the contact is made, come on man. That’s why they have VAR.'<br/><br/>However, he did not find himself so well supported in the social media town hall. <br/><br/>'Brilliant decision from the referee,' one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. <br/><br/>'That’s a TOP decision from the referee. Let’s be real here. That’s class,' said another. <br/><br/>'What a decision from the referee. Wow,' another commented. <br/><br/>'Wow that was a quick change of heart from the referee in the CL semi, but at least he’s got the decision correct,' one said. <br/><br/>Another used it as a chance to slam English officials, writing: 'What. A. Decision. Shame English referees would now spend 5 minutes checking VAR for that decision.<br/><br/>'Why can’t every ref be like this? Every single time I see this man referee a match he’s spot on with almost every decision,' one said. <br/><br/>Dortmund came into the tie in Paris with a 1-0 advantage thanks to a Niclas Fullkrug goal in the first leg. <br/><br/>PSG had many chances across both legs to score, hitting the post and bar multiple times, and wondered if Warren Zaire-Emery would regret missing an open goal just three minutes before Hummels' goal. <br/><br/>The French champions had 30 shots and 70 percent of the ball on Thursday night but couldn't find the back of the net.<br/><br/>Kylian Mbappe looked exasperated at full-time after once again falling short ahead of his move to Real Madrid in the summer.<br/><br/>For Dortmund, it is the first Champions League final since 2013, when they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich, and this year could well see a repeat of that depending on how their rivals get on in Madrid on Wednesday night. <br/><br/>It is all the more remarkable considering that they are fifth in the Bundesliga, 24 points off Bayer Leverkusen.