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The second leg of tonight’s Champions League round of 16 tie between Real Sociedad and PSG at Anoeta will be refereed by Englishman Michael Oliver, who returns to the San Sebastián stadium having officiated there last September when he was in charge of the match between Imanol’s side and Inter, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

That match is remembered in Donostia for being an uneventful night, until a controversial decision occurred midway through the second half. With La Real 1-0 up, Oliver sent off Inter’s Barella with a straight red card after he had clashed with Brais Méndez. However, he was called upon by the VAR and the Premier League official overturned his decision after consulting the screen. He subsequently gave a yellow card to the Italian midfielder. Inter equalised late in the game thanks to a goal from Lautaro Martínez.

The other match he took charge of in this year’s Champions League also involved a Spanish team. Oliver, 39, has been an international referee since 2012, and was present for Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Portuguese side Braga. He has officiated twice for Paris Saint-Germain, in the 2022-23 season with the French as hosts in a 1-1 draw in the group stage against Benfica and a 1-0 defeat in the last 16 against Bayern Munich, with Coman scoring and Pavard sent off at the end of the game after a foul on Messi. Oliver will be assisted on this occasion by Stuart Burt and Daniel Cook, and in the VAR room by Stuart Attwell.

In France this season, Oliver refereed Marseille’s second leg against Panathinaikos in the third preliminary round of the Champions League. OM, then coached by Marcelino, were eliminated on penalties, with the Asturian complaining about the refereeing, regretting in particular a penalty not awarded to Guendouzi. “We have been the victims of some dubious decisions, which we don’t agree with,” said Marseille president Pablo Longoria. After the defeat, the Marseille officials sent a letter to UEFA to express their anger at certain refereeing decisions. In extra time, Vitinha scored, but the goal was disallowed.