Chelsea star escapes red card after ball boy incident in UCL defeat to PSG

Chelsea winger Pedro Neto was involved in an unusual touchline incident with a ball boy during the closing moments of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.

With Chelsea trailing 4–2 deep into stoppage time, the ball went out of play, and Neto attempted to quickly retrieve another ball from a ball boy positioned beside the pitch.

However, the youngster hesitated and did not immediately hand the ball to the Portuguese winger. Instead, he appeared to move as though he might throw the ball away.

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Frustrated and eager to restart play, Neto reacted by pushing the ball boy aside while trying to take the ball.

The incident left the youngster briefly on the ground and sparked a brief confrontation on the touchline as players from both teams reacted to the situation.

The moment was subsequently reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), but officials decided that no further action was necessary.

Former England international Glenn Hoddle, speaking during TNT Sports’ broadcast of the match, defended Neto’s actions.

He suggested that the winger’s reaction was influenced by the urgency of the moment, noting that the ball boy had initially refused to hand over the ball as the game approached its final seconds.

Neto later apologised to the ball boy following the incident. However, the situation did little to ease Chelsea’s frustrations on the night, as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored late in stoppage time to extend PSG’s lead to 5–2.

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After the match, Neto was seen giving the ball boy his shirt in a gesture of goodwill, and the two appeared to reconcile following the unusual exchange.

Speaking after the game, the Chelsea winger expressed regret over the incident.

"I want to come out to say that the situation that happened on the pitch – I went to apologise to the ball boy already and spoke with him," he said.

"The emotions of the game – we were losing, and I wanted to pick up the ball. He was carrying the ball with him; I gave him a little push in the heat of the moment, and I saw that I hurt him.

"I'm not like this, so straight away I went there to apologise, and I gave him my shirt as well because that cannot happen, so I'm really sorry about that. And I just wanted to say one more time I'm really sorry for him."

He added that he repeatedly apologised to the youngster after the match, explaining that the intense emotions of the game led to the reaction.

"I have to apologise to him. In the heat of the moment, how football is, you have a lot of emotions.

"I wanted to get the ball first; I gave him a push, and I went to say sorry to him straight away, and then we spoke at the end.

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"He even laughed because I gave him the shirt, and I said 'sorry' like 35 times, so I'm really sorry about the situation.

"He knew what happened as well, so he was happy as well with the situation. He knew in the heat of the moment; Vitinha said to him too that I'm not like that and the only thing that matters is that I was worried about him. So I'm really sorry about the situation."

The incident capped a frustrating night for Chelsea, managed by Liam Rosenior. Despite competing strongly for much of the match and drawing level through Enzo Fernández midway through the second half, three late goals from the hosts ensured PSG secured a commanding 5–2 advantage heading into next week’s second leg.