Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta criticized the referee’s decision to disallow the penalty he had originally awarded his side to deny them victory in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
After consulting VAR, referee Danny Makkelie overturned the penalty he had awarded when Eberechi Eze appeared to step on his foot in the second half, and the game finished 1-1.
Arteta claimed there was clear contact and said the fact the referee had to watch replays several times before overturning his decision was proof it should have stood.
“What makes me incredibly sad is how the hell is the penalty on Ebs going to be cancelled,” Arteta said. “If you have to look at it 13 times … That’s a goal that can change the course of the season. It can’t happen.”
DUMBER AFFAIRS
After Tuesday’s nine-goal thriller between Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich in the first semi-final in France, the Metropolitano was treated to a much more tactical affair, although the home crowd did their best to provide some early theater, greeting the teams with an avalanche of toilet paper thrown from the stands onto the pitch.
Atlético enjoyed more possession early on but conceded the lead to Arsenal in the 44th minute when Gyokeres was brought down in the box by David Hancko. The Swedish striker slotted the penalty firmly past Jan Oblak to send Arsenal ahead at half-time.
Atletico equalized in the 56th minute after VAR spotted Ben White’s ball inside the box following Marcos Llorente’s shot. Alvarez fired the resulting penalty into the top left corner past David Raya.
Antoine Griezmann rattled the crossbar a little later while Arsenal were awarded a late penalty which was disallowed by the referee after a VAR review.
Arteta said he accepted the penalty awarded to Atletico after the ball bounced off Ben White’s leg and onto his hand, even though it would not have been awarded in the Premier League. Julian Alvarez converted to equalize in the 56th minute.
“Just as we have to accept Ben White’s punishment, Ebs’ punishment is clear,” he said.
Arteta said he was proud of how his team withstood the stormy atmosphere in Madrid, although he lamented that Arsenal’s task would have been made easier in the second leg next Tuesday had the penalty stood.
“Everything is at stake in London,” he said.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
30 Apr 2026 09:35 IST
