Champions League: Why VAR Overturned Arsenal’s Penalty Against Atletico Madrid
- Arsenal and Atletico Madrid played a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg in Spain
- The Gunners were left fuming after Eberechi Eze’s penalty was overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR)
- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted that he was disappointed with the decision, which he claimed was a very clear penalty
Arsenal were left disappointed following their 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid after they were denied a penalty in the second half.
The UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between the two sides ended with a goal apiece from the spot from strikers Viktor Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez.
Source: Getty Images
Arsenal had an opportunity to win the game after Dutch referee Daniel Makkelie awarded a penalty for a foul on Eberechi Eze by defender David Hancko.
VAR official Dennis Higler directed the referee to have an on-pitch review, and after 13 replays, Makkelie overturned his initial decision.
Both sides had a different reaction to the incident: the Gunners were fuming while Atletico manager Diego Simeone celebrated in relief.
Why Arsenal’s penalty was overturned
According to The Athletic, Hancko certainly stood in Eze’s path after the Arsenal attacker got to the ball ahead of his marker, and this was confirmed by replays.
However, the main question was that Eze made the most of the contact, which was deemed insufficient to have sent him tumbling in the manner he did.
Mikel Arteta, during his post-match conference, said it would have been a penalty if it were in the Premier League, and a former referee, Graham Scott, explained why.
“The Premier League only expects a review if there is incontrovertible evidence that the original call was plainly wrong, the international bodies want officials to reach the best decision, however long it takes. Makkiele must have thought that a penalty was too harsh given the level of contact, so he did a U-turn,” Scott told The Athletic.
What the managers said
Mikel Arteta claimed that he was very upset at the manner in which the penalty was overturned, which influenced the outcome of the match.
“Speaking to the boys and understanding the penalty incident for the second goal getting overturned, it was against the rules, and I don't understand it. Very upset. There is clear contact; he makes the decision, and you can't overturn it when you have to watch it 13 times,” he told TNT Sports.
Source: Getty Images
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone had complaints about Arsenal’s first penalty awarded to Gyokeres, claiming the contact was minimal.
“To award a penalty, it truly has to be a penalty. The contact seemed minimal to me in the first half, and we’re in the Champions League semifinals,” he said as quoted by Into the Calderon.
Supercomputer predicts UCL winner
Legit.ng previously reported that Opta's supercomputer predicted the UEFA Champions League winner after Arsenal and Atletico Madrid played a draw.
The Gunners’ chances of winning the competition for the first time took a leap, while their opponents’ chances dipped despite an even result.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
