The Aporia · Horror for Arsenal star Leah Williamson as she gives away the weirdest penalty you will see all season - by picking up the ball from a pass not realising it was in play

Horror for Arsenal star Leah Williamson as she gives away the weirdest penalty you will see all season - by picking up the ball from a pass not realising it was in play

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Anson-walsh, T. (2026, October 1). Horror for Arsenal star Leah Williamson as she gives away the weirdest penalty you will see all season - by picking up the ball from a pass not realising it was in play. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16173849/leah-williamson-penalty-womens-champions-league.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Quick Summary

Leah Williamson of Arsenal committed a bizarre mistake during a Women's Champions League match against Paris FC when she mistakenly thought her goalkeeper had thrown the ball to her for a goal kick. Instead, the ball was still in play, and Williamson handled it, resulting in a penalty that equalized the game in the 87th minute as Arsenal conceded after holding a two-goal lead. The incident highlights the complexities of football rules and the pressure on players during high-stakes matches.

Written by AI on 2026-10-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In the Women's Champions League, Arsenal conceded a late equaliser to Paris FC, resulting in a 2-2 draw after holding a two-goal lead. The match took a dramatic turn when, in the 87th minute, an error occurred due to miscommunication between Arsenal goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez and defender Leah Williamson, who mistakenly believed she was supposed to take the goal kick herself but instead handled the ball while it was still live play, leading to a penalty awarded to Paris FC. This incident left Arsenal in fourth place after their first two league games, potentially affecting their standings if they had secured a victory.

Written for “Arsenal Football Match Controversy” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

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This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

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“Article A describes a specific incident during a Women's Champions League match where Leah Williamson gave away a penalty, while Article B discusses Arsenal's overall poor performance in league matches and the pressure on coach Renee Slegers.”

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Leah Williamson gave away a bizarre penalty as Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Paris FC in the Women's Champions League. asserted

Arsenal → give → League

Renee Slegers' side have struggled to find the back of the net this season, but Alessia Russo ended her goalscoring drought with a clinical finish in the 41st minute. asserted

Russo → struggle → minute

Georgia Stanway then joined her Lioness team-mate in getting her first goal of the campaign in the 50th minute, her first since signing for the north London club from Bayern Munich in the summer. asserted

Stanway → join → summer

But Paris FC bided their time, scoring a wonderful goal on the counter 20 minutes later before a miscommunication between Williamson and Arsenal goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez led to a penalty in the 87th minute. asserted

miscommunication → bid → minute

It appeared Williamson thought Rodriguez had thrown her the ball, and she handled it to place it on the edge of the six-yard box to take the goal kick herself. asserted

she → appear → kick

The problem was that Rodriguez had in fact kicked the ball to Williamson and, with play considered live, the referee judged it to be handball and pointed to the penalty spot. asserted

it → kick → spot

Arsenal vice-captain Leah Williamson gave away a bizarre penalty as Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Paris FC in the Women's Champions League According to IFAB's Laws of the Game, a goal kick is in play once the ball is stationary and 'is kicked from any point within the goal area by a player of the defending team'. uncertain

ball → give → team

Replays showed the ball had come to a stop after Rodriguez threw it onto the pitch before kicking it to Williamson, meaning the referee's decision was correct. asserted

decision → show → Williamson

Williamson looked visibly devastated by the incident as Maeline Mendy stepped up to convert the equaliser. asserted

Mendy → look → equaliser

After the match, Slegers came under scrutiny for choosing to skip the post-match press conference, instead sending assistant coach Aaron D'Antino to meet the media. asserted

Slegers → come → media

D'Antino said: 'We didn’t think it was a penalty, we don’t think the goal kick had actually been taken for what we had seen. asserted

we → say → what

But it goes to VAR and apparently that’s a penalty. asserted

that → go → VAR

'It's just passing the ball to Leah from what I remember seeing, the ball was still rolling and she was moving it to Leah for her to take the goal kicks as we normally do. asserted

we → pass → kicks

' Slegers is under pressure heading into this weekend's match against champions Manchester City, with Arsenal having won just one of their opening four WSL games and only managing a narrow 1-0 win in their Champions League opener against HB Koge last week. asserted

Arsenal → head → Koge

After making statement signings in the summer, including star midfielder Stanway and World Cup winner Ona Batlle, Arsenal were widely expected to challenge for the title this season. asserted

Arsenal → make → title

They are now seven points behind league leaders City, and defeat at the weekend could effectively end their title hopes before the race has properly begun. uncertain

race → end → hopes

Horror for Arsenal star Leah Williamson as she gives away the weirdest penalty you will see all season - by picking up the ball from a pass not realising it was in play

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