Arsenal will contest this season’s Champions League final after a historic victory against Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night
Arsenal have reached their second-ever Champions League final after they defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 over two legs. But refereeing decisions have somewhat stolen the spotlight.
Mikel Arteta’s side were held to a 1-1 draw when they visited Madrid last week for the first leg but that clash was not without VAR drama. The first half of the second leg was a cagey one, with a place in the final up for grabs.
But in the 44th minute, Bukayo Saka reacted quickest after Leandro Trossard’s shot was parried out by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, and broke the deadlock. Early in the second half, Antoine Griezmann controlled a rebound in the box and appeared to be caught by Riccardo Calafiori.
Fans may have feared the worst but VAR did not award a spot-kick, citing a foul by Atletico’s Marc Pubill on Gabriel moments before Calafiori’s infringement. The Spanish press has lamented this decision as Arsenal held on to win 1-0 and seal their spot in Budapest.
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AS
Calafiori’s lunge on Griezmann in the second half would have likely resulted in an Atletico penalty were it not for what was given as a foul by Pubill in the build-up. Referee Daniel Siebert has taken the brunt of the flak for the call, with outlet AS taking particular umbrage.
“For the Rojiblancos, tonight will be remembered above all by one name. His name was Daniel Siebert,” read a report. “[It was] a clear, blatant, undeniable stamp on the foot with which Calafiori brought down the Frenchman.
“But the referee had previously whistled for a foul by Pubill on Gabriel, which, by the way, wasn’t a foul. They had both jumped at the same time and the VAR room didn’t even take him to the monitor.
“The tool was supposed to be there to avoid errors like this. The kind that always drowns Atletico’s hopes in the Champions League. His whistle was heard afterwards. Siebert, alongside [referees Mark] Clattenburg and [Szymon] Marciniak: these guys are truly mad, bad, and dangerous.”
Mundo Deportivo
This incident was further lambasted by Mundo Deportivo. The outlet wrote: “After a shot by Pubill, the referee disallowed Calafiori’s clear foul on Griezmann.
“The replays clearly show that Pubill did not commit the foul, so a penalty should have been awarded. However, the VAR officials opted not to overturn Siebert’s initial decision.
“In the first half, Calafiori had already committed a clear penalty against Giuliano [Simeone] in the 41st minute. A push that sent him sprawling inside the area. However, that play was ruled offside. An offside that, surprisingly, wasn’t reviewed by VAR.”
Sport
Another platform, Sport, also expressed some discontent over the officiating, writing: “Football owes no one anything. It just settles scores. It’s the debt collector.
“There are no Champions League titles left for Atletico. The memory only serves to torture them for what could have been. They exposed the inconsistency of referee Daniel Siebert. A referee known for his quick decisions.
“He failed to call a clear penalty for a foul by Calafiori on Griezmann after an alleged foul on Gabriel. The VAR official was Bastian Dankert, the German referee who witnessed Julian Alvarez’s double touch [penalty miss that saw Atletico knocked out of last year’s Champions League by Real Madrid].”
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