Tuesday’s Champions League offered a great football spectacle, where ten goals were scored in two matches, but there were also controversial moments. One of them was a possible penalty situation from the set time of Arsenal’s game against Bayern Munich. Fans and pundits disagree on whether or not the penalty should have been whistled.
The last minute of the set time was running. Bukayo Saka got a great ball behind the defense and raced at the keeper Neuer. He stepped up against him, the Arsenal winger stuck the ball and then the two players came into contact. The Londoners immediately spread their arms and asked for a penalty, but referee Nyberg did not order a penalty kick. In the final seconds, no more goals were scored, so the match ended 2-2, but Saka’s contact with Neuer was still a lot to deal with.
“He de facto jumped into it. If the referee chose a penalty, I think he will defend it. For me, it’s a situation that is not entirely clear, but it can be seen that Saka wants to jump into it at the last moment,” former forward Roman Bednář assessed the controversial situation in the Nova Sport studio.
The Saka/Neuer decision slowed to .25x speed. 🧐
🎥 – @CBSSportsGolazo pic.twitter.com/XCwMQ9uQMt
— Bavarian Football Works (@BavarianFBWorks) April 10, 2024
“The referee was probably waiting for help from VAR. At the end, you could see how Neuer put his foot down quickly, and Saka, who put the ball too far to the side, took advantage of the situation. I agree with Roman that he probably would have defended it, but in the given situation it’s good that he didn’t blow the whistle,” agreed former Bayern player David Jarolím.
Former defender Martin Jiránek was completely clear: “Anyone who has played football knows that this is not a foul. That player knows what he’s doing on purpose, so it’s not a penalty for me. I’ve seen whistled like that, but it’s not a penalty for me.“
On the contrary, the legendary Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand did not understand the judge’s verdict. “How come there wasn’t a penalty for this? With the video and everything, I don’t understand that it wasn’t whistled. I can’t believe it.” he was surprised expert of English television TNT Sports. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown was of the same opinion.
After this questionable moment, most fans probably expected Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta to swear after the game, but he offered only a very restrained comment: “I didn’t see it. The decision was made and we can’t change it. We have to focus on other aspects that we can influence and that we could have been much better today.”
The situation also divides fans on social networks. Some Arsenal fans accept that Saka pounced on Neuer, but there are also fans of other clubs who would award a penalty in favor of Arsenal. How do you see it? Vote in the poll here:
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