Arsenal’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid was controversial after the referee pointed to the penalty spot three times, but one particular decision infuriated the Gunners.
Jan Oblak gives his thoughts on the controversy with Arsenal (Image: Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak has claimed his team have agreed with Arsenal’s controversial decision to cancel a penalty. The Gunners thought they had earned their second spot-kick against the Metropolitano on Wednesday night after Eberechi Eze was taken down by David Hanko.
Referee Danny McCarey initially awarded a penalty, but changed his mind after being beckoned by the VAR booth. He was shown replays of the incident 13 times before deciding to call off the spot-kick.
Asked for his thoughts on the decision, Oblak, 33, insisted that officials had made the right decision. The Slovenian stopper said: “It was a tough game on both sides. Both teams wanted a win and I think we played a good game, but at 1-1 we have a lot to decide in London next week.”
“It’s always a relief when a penalty is overturned. I think it should have been stopped anyway. It’s the referee’s decision to change the penalty and we agree with his opinion.”
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“He almost saved the first penalty, but it was just power. He took it with maximum force, but that’s in the past. We need to focus on the weekend first and then on London.”
“I won’t think about the last match, where we lost 0-4. I believe it will be a different match and we will do our best to get a good result and advance to the final.”
“We’re not thinking about lifting trophies. We need to work on the pitch for the second leg first. Arsenal are also aiming to win the Champions League, so we need to get past them first.”
Eberechi Eze has a penalty canceled against Atletico Madrid for chalking (Image: Getty Images)
The decision to chalk away Arsenal’s penalty was the third time the referee had pointed to the spot. In the first half, the Gunners were awarded a spot-kick after Victor Gokeres was brought down by Hanko.
Atleti then got their own point after an obvious handball by Ben White. Coach Diego Simeone said of these decisions: “In my opinion, the first penalty was a contact from behind and the player fell down expecting the contact.In the Champions League semi-finals, we need a real penalty.”
“The referee understood that it was so. And once, thanks to VAR, he understood it was a penalty because the first time it wasn’t a handball, and the second time, thanks to VAR, it wasn’t a penalty. Sometimes VAR clears up doubts, sometimes it removes doubts.”
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