Gabriel Magalhaes picking up the ball in the penalty area or Bukayo Saka colliding with Manuel Neuer were 2 out of 3 controversial plays when Arsenal drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in the early morning of April 10.
In the 55th minute of the great bаttle between Arsenal and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the first leg of the Champions League at Emirates Stadium, the score was 2-1 in favor of the Bundesliga representative. During an aerial dispute, Harry Kane elbowed Arsenal midfielder Gabriel in the face.
The former Tottenham striker was given a yellow card by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg. Kane objected and said that the collision was аccidentаl. “Kane was lucky to escape a red card,” Goal , The Independent and BBC simultaneously confirmed.
VAR did not intervene, making Arsenal fans very upset. Some also said that this ball was more serious than the situation where Cristiano Ronaldo elbowed Ali Al Bulayhi in the chest, leading to a red card, in Al Nassr’s 1-2 defeat against Al Hilal on April 9.
At minute 67, the referee controlling the match made a controversial decision. Bayern should have been awarded a penalty because of an unbelievable mistake by Arsenal midfielder Gabriel Magalhaes.
David Raya makes a pass to Gabriel in the penalty area at Emirates Stadium. However, the Brazilian midfielder blatantly bent down, picked up the ball and returned it to his teammate. Bayern players simultaneously demanded a penalty. However, referee Nyberg refused and gave Raya a goal kιck.
“An unbelievable mistake by the referee. Gabriel Magalhaes must be punished for using his hand to play the ball. He said that it was just a ‘childish’ mistake, not worth it and will not be punished because this is the fourth Champions League final. I can’t imagine that those are financial words. It’s terrible,” coach Thomas Tuchel was upset after the match.
In the second half’s stoppage time and also in the last notable phase of the match, Bukayo Saka broke through into the penalty area and fell after a collision with Manuel Neuer. Referee Nyberg once again refused to consult VAR and blew the whistle for timeout.
After the match, Saka got angry and ran towards the referee but was stopped by a member of the coaching staff. Former midfielder Rio Ferdinand affirmed: “Neuer clearly put his foot out on purpose. To me, it should have been a penalty. VAR did not do a good job.”
However, there are also many opinions that Saka should have made a pass, instead of giving up the ball and rushing straight to where Neuer was standing.
Sky Sports analyzed: “It can be considered a brave decision from the referee and is probably correct. In the end, a draw is reasonable.”
The match at the Emirates ended with a 2-2 draw. Arsenal and Bayern will have to start over from the beginning in the second leg at Allianz Arena, when the away goals rule no longer applies.