Online Reporter
ARSENAL fans were left fuming after being on the wrong side of two hugely controversial penalty decisions in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie with Atletico Madrid.
The Gunners firstly fell victim to the same ludicrous application of the handball rule that plagued Paris Saint-Germain‘s clash against Bayern Munich.
And around half an hour later the visitors were then DENIED a penalty on Eberechi Eze as Dávid Hancko appeared to foul him in the box.
Ian Wright led the Gunners fury with an explosive outburst on social media following a VAR review which overturned referee Danny Makkelie’s original decision to award a penalty.
Arsenal icon Wright shared a trio of angry face emojis before he said: “Knew he’d buckle! Home side gets that pen!” Taking to social media, another fan said: “This is a STONE WALL pen. If it’s not given I’m f***ing done. Eze wins the ball, Hancko clips his foot. It’s a pen.”
A second said: “How on earth has he overturned that? Eze gets there first, Atletico player doesn’t touch the ball and makes contact with Eze’s ankle.”
A third said: “This ref has been spineless, gave them a pen for a ball going for a throw in, overruled Eze because he got shouted at by Simeone…”
A fourth fumed: “Hancko makes contact with Eze and no contact with the ball in the box, textbook definition of a pen.” Steven Gerrard believed the decision was “very harsh” on Arsenal, while Steve McManaman took aim at Diego Simeone’s “atrocious” and “absolutely awful” behaviour on the sidelines as he pestered the referee. It was the third massive call the ref had to make of the night.
Following Viktor Gyokeres firing Mikel Arteta‘s side into the lead from the spot in the first half after he was bundled over by Hancko, ex-Manchester City man Julian Alvarez levelled the scoring 10 minutes after the break with a spot kick of his own.
However, the circumstances that was given in likewise left fans furious on social media.
Ben White had rushed to the edge of the penalty area to close down a volley attempt from Marcos Llorente after Antoine Griezmann‘s floated corner.
But the defender’s trailing arm was hit by the ball after bouncing into the ground.
And based on the precedent set in the PSG-Bayern thriller on the day before, the ref was left with no choice but to award a penalty following a VAR review of the incident. Fans vented their frustration at the decision on social media, with one saying: “Handball appeal against Arsenal, after VAR, referee given a penalty????? How is that a penalty?”
A second said: “I’ll be real, these handball rules are awful though, if I was Arsenal I’d be so sour but these rules have been consistent across Europe.”
A third added: “The handball rule has to change. Mishit shot so he has no idea where it’s going, heading towards two Arsenal players, hits his leg before deflecting onto his hand. Utterly ridiculous.”
Another said: “Can’t stand Arsenal, but the handball rules need a complete overhaul. Absolute bull**** if you ask me.”
A fifth said: “If that’s handball then the game has gone.” A sixth fumed: “These people hate football.”
Alan Shearer led the fury at the near-identical call from referee Sandro Schaerer yesterday, labelling it “nonsense” as the ball hit Alphonso Davies’ groin BEFORE striking his arm.
Likewise today, former Premier League star Yannick Bolasie echoed the furious outcry.
He said on his social media: “No chance that can ever be a pen.” The clash eventually ended 1-1, leaving Arsenal with a slim advantage with the home leg to come next week ahead of a chance to make a first Champions League final since 2006.
He added: “I don’t know (if ref was influenced by crowd). “It’s a wrong decision and changes the course of the tie.” — Sun
