Nations League: Why Marc Cucurella Was Booed During Spain vs Portugal Clash

• Football fans watching the Nations League final have been targeting Marc Cucurella all evening
• Portugal and Spain are facing off in Munich for the UEFA Nations League title, but the spotlight has partly shifted to the Chelsea defender
• German fans haven’t forgotten his controversial Euro 2024 handball, and they’re making their feelings known once again

The reason behind Spain defender Marc Cucurella being booed during the Nations League final against Portugal has now come to light.

On Sunday night, Spain faced Portugal at the Allianz Arena in Munich, aiming to retain their Nations League crown after a dramatic 5-4 win over France in the semi-final.

With in-form stars like Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, Spain entered the clash as strong favourites.

Martin Zubimendi gave Spain the lead, before Nuno Mendes equalised with his first international goal. Mikel Oyarzabal then struck just before half-time to put Spain back in front.

Yet the major talking point of the first half wasn’t any of the goals—it was Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella being loudly booed by sections of the crowd.

The reason behind the jeers has now emerged.

Why fans booed Cucurella

With the Nations League final being held in one of Germany’s biggest cities, thousands of local fans have packed the stadium to witness a showdown between two of Europe’s elite sides.

But those same German supporters have been booing Marc Cucurella every time he touches the ball, still bitter about his controversial handball during Spain’s Euro 2024 quarter-final win over Germany.

In extra time of that tense clash, the Chelsea left-back appeared to block a goal-bound shot with his hand, but no penalty was awarded — and just 12 minutes later, Mikel Merino’s dramatic winner sent Spain through, leaving German fans with lasting frustration.

UEFA confirmed referee error involving Cucurella in Germany's Euro exit

Germany's heartbreak at Euro 2024 has been compounded after UEFA admitted the referee made a crucial error during their quarter-final defeat.

Two months after the match, UEFA released an official statement confirming that Germany should have been awarded a penalty when Marc Cucurella blocked a goal-bound shot with his arm.

The statement read via Sportbible:

“Following the latest UEFA guidelines, hand-to-ball contact that stops a shot on goal should be punished more strictly... In this case [Cucurella], the defender stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, making himself bigger, so a penalty kick should have been awarded.”

Had the penalty been given and converted, Germany might have taken the lead and gone on to face France in the semi-finals, where they would likely have been strong contenders for the title.

Kroos slams UEFA over Cucurella handball ruling

Germany and Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos didn’t hold back after UEFA confirmed the handball decision

“It took them three months to see what everyone else saw in a second." Kroos said. That’s very reassuring (laughs). So, does this mean I’m officially a European champion now? Probably not.”

Why Marc Cucurella was shown a red card

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Cucurella left a stain on Chelsea's performance after he was red-carded against Brentford.

Source: YEN.com.gh