Key Takeaways
- Arsenal secured a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano
- Video Assistant Referee (VAR) cancelled a penalty awarded to the Gunners in the 78th minute following a lengthy review
- Mikel Arteta strongly criticised the reversal, calling it an “obvious penalty” and demanding greater consistency from match officials
Arsenal and Atletico Madrid finished level at 1-1 in their Champions League semi-final first leg encounter on Wednesday evening. The result leaves the tie evenly balanced ahead of next week’s return match in London.
However, the Premier League side departed Madrid feeling frustrated after a controversial refereeing decision denied them the opportunity to take a lead back to England.
The incident occurred in the 78th minute when Dutch referee Danny Makkelie initially pointed to the spot after Eberechi Eze fell under pressure from defender David Hancko. Following intervention from the Video Assistant Referee, the official reversed his decision and cancelled the penalty award.
This reversal provoked an angry response from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during his post-match comments to Marca.
“It is a great honour to play at this stadium. The atmosphere was fantastic and the energy was incredible,” Arteta stated. “We created good opportunities but we were careless at the start of the second period. We conceded too much possession and had to fight through difficult moments.”
He continued: “I am very angry about the penalty decision. It is impossible to make the situation any clearer. Just as they applied the rules in other matches, this was an obvious penalty.”
The Spanish coach compared the decision to recent fixtures, highlighting inconsistencies in officiating standards across different competitions.
“Yesterday there were two penalties awarded in the Paris Saint-Germain versus Bayern Munich match. I accept that. In the Premier League, handball is often not given as a penalty. You accept these different criteria,” he explained. “But I do not understand why they needed to review this action so many times before cancelling it. The decision should have been straightforward. These are the rules.”
Arteta also expressed concern that this error could damage his team’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final.
“That is their job and they must do it properly. I can only judge what I saw on the pitch,” he added. “We have invested so much effort to reach this stage, and these mistakes cannot happen at this level.”
The Gunners must now prepare for the second leg at the Emirates Stadium next week, where they will hope to secure their place in the final.