After a frenetic match filled with goals, penalty decisions became the main talking point. The arguments centred on refereeing calls following Arsenal’s incident-filled draw with Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal will feel they should have won this first leg at the Metropolitano. Atletico Madrid’s defiance ensured this semi-final is balanced at 1-1.
Arteta’s Anger at Overturned Penalty
The spot kick given for Eberechi Eze’s fall was overturned. Debate centred on whether David Hancko actually made sufficient contact.
Mikel Arteta fumed about that. “After watching the second penalty decision getting overturned, [I’m] extremely disappointed and annoyed because it’s against the rules,” he said.
“What I am fuming with is the decision to overturn Eze’s penalty. It’s not a clear and obvious error. It changes the course of the game. We are all fuming with that.”
Diego Simeone was right there in amongst it. Everything else seemed open to interpretation, including the very state of this game.
A Game of Ebb and Flow
Arsenal could be encouraged but frustrated, if also relieved from one or two occasions. Atletico could be proud, and roused.
The tension of being so close to the club game’s greatest fixture guarantees every moment is enthralling in its way.
Arsenal may well rue the fact they didn’t press home when they were properly on top by half-time. At 1-0 up after Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty, they looked like they could get two or three.
Simeone even seemed so concerned by it that he went to five at the back.
That ended up being a ploy of its own. It stretched the game and gave Julian Alvarez and – especially – Antoine Griezmann the space to finally play.
Griezmann’s Determination
Antoine Griezmann, conscious that next week’s return leg could be his last ever match in the Champions League, played like he was determined to avoid it.
He suddenly just lifted it, and lifted his team.
In that one frenetic second-half flurry, two brilliantly improvised efforts narrowly missed.
That was still the source of Atletico’s equaliser, as the ball was being beaten around so much it eventually hit a hand.
It was played in those margins, when there could have been more.
Arsenal at least have the grand occasion of a home semi-final second leg to come.