DECLAN RICE ACCUSES REFEREE OF CRUMBLING UNDER PRESSURE IN MADRID PENALTY DRAMA
Arsenal head to the Emirates with a 1-1 draw, but Declan Rice is fuming over the officiating standards in the Champions League.
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Declan Rice didn’t hold back after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, backing Mikel Arteta’s outrage and insisting the team deserved a “clear” penalty. He even went so far as to say that Atlético Madrid’s fans pushed the referee, Danny Makkelie, into changing his mind.
Arteta was livid. Late in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, Makkelie first pointed to the spot for Arsenal after Eberechi Eze went down. But surrounded by Diego Simeone’s wild sideline antics and the roar of 70,000 Atleti supporters, Makkelie stared at the replay 13 times, then flipped his call and waved play on.
Looking back on it, Rice couldn’t believe it. “It’s a clear penalty,” he said. “I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans got to him and changed his mind. UEFA is just a different world. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because referees call everything.”
Arsenal ran into trouble with VAR twice. First, the ref ruled Ben White handled a Llorente volley, and Julián Álvarez buried the resulting penalty, cancelling out Viktor Gyökeres’ earlier spot-kick. Rice felt for White. Talking with Stan Sport, he said, “If that happens in the Premier League, it doesn’t get given. The ball’s hardly off the ground, and it’s not even on target. But in the Champions League, the refs make these snap calls and whistle for everything. It’s just more strict. But whatever, we move on. We want to beat them next week.”
Despite the drama, Arsenal is still in a solid spot. They’ll head back to London, hoping the home crowd can push them into their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, freshly back from an Achilles injury, is counting on it. “We’d have liked to win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s halftime, and we’re full of confidence going back to the Emirates,” he said. “I’m sure the atmosphere will be even bigger, and that will give us a real boost.”
Before that return leg, Arsenal face Fulham at home on Saturday. They could put more heat on Manchester City by stretching their Premier League lead, though City still has games in hand and plays Everton next. The race is on.
JULIAN ALVAREZ TRANSFER TALK ERUPTS AS ARSENAL FACE ATLETICO MADRID IN EUROPEAN CLASH
Analysis: Behind Arsenal's ambition to sign Julian Alvarez. We explore the transfer bombshell dropped by Diego Simeone today.
Arsenal want to sign Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, or at least that’s what Diego Simeone is saying ahead of their Champions League semi-final.
Alvarez, who’s 26, has put away 20 goals in 52 matches for Atleti this season. He’s set to start against Arsenal in the first leg of their last-four clash at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday.
Rumours have been swirling about Alvarez’s possible move to North London. When someone asked Simeone about Arsenal’s interest in the ex-Man City striker, he shrugged it off: “I’m not in Julian Alvarez’s head. I suppose it’s normal; he’s an extraordinary player. Sure, Arsenal are interested, but so are PSG, Barcelona, and other clubs. It’s nothing we’re worried about.”
Arsenal picked up Viktor Gyokeres last summer for £64 million. He’s scored 18 goals in his first season, but honestly, consistency has been an issue. Mikel Arteta dropped him for the big showdown at the Etihad earlier this month and then again at home against Newcastle.
Then, Kai Havertz picked up an injury in the first half of that Newcastle win and sat out of training at London Colney on Tuesday, so Gyokeres is set to start in Madrid.
Eberechi Eze had to leave the Newcastle game as well, but for Arteta, there was a boost: Eze rejoined his teammates for training.
Atleti, for their part, knocked out Tottenham in the round of 16 and then edged past Barcelona to make it to the semis. Still, Simeone’s men have lost six of their last nine matches.
Neither Arsenal nor Atletico has ever lifted the Champions League trophy. Simeone talked about the pressure: “I don’t really feel it. It’s just exciting to be this close; we’ve never done it before. It’s a special excitement. Leadership is everything in these games, and we’ll try to play the match on our own terms. We’re facing a great opponent, so it’ll be tough, but we’re up for it.”
Atleti captain Koke, whose contract is up at the end of the season, could be playing his last Champions League semi-final for the club. He compared the nerves before these games to those jitters before a first date. “Once the warm-up starts, it’s just football,” he said. “But we expect a very strong Arsenal team. It’s the Champions League semi-final, and that’s how we’re treating it.
JOAN LAPORTA LABELS ATLéTICO TIE A "DISGRACE" FOLLOWING VAR-FUELED CHAMPIONS LEAGUE EXIT
Joan Laporta attacks UEFA officiating after Barcelona's exit to Atlético Madrid. Read the full "robbery" claims and VAR analysis.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta didn’t hide his frustration after the Champions League quarterfinal loss to Atlético Madrid, calling the refereeing “disgraceful” and vowing to take the matter to UEFA.
Barça beat Atlético 2-1 at the Metropolitano, but that wasn’t enough. They lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate, after dropping the first leg 2-0 at home the week before.
After the match, injured forward Raphinha called the result a “robbery.” Laporta backed him up the next day, telling reporters, “First of all, congrats to Atlético for making the semifinals, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting the refereeing go. It was a disgrace. In the first leg, we didn’t get a penalty for a Marc Pubill handball, and Pau Cubarsí got a red card when it should’ve been a yellow. Giuliano Simeone didn’t even have control of the ball.”
He went on, “The ref actually got it right with the yellow at first, but VAR stepped in and made it a red card. That really hurt our chances. The referees played a massive part in how this tie went. The second leg was more of the same.”
After the first game, Barça filed an official complaint to UEFA, arguing they were owed a penalty when Pubill handled the ball after keeper Juan Musso appeared to restart play. They also thought Pubill, who was already booked, should’ve been sent off. UEFA shot the complaint down, calling it “inadmissible.”
Laporta didn’t run out of grievances in Madrid, either. He pointed to Eric García’s red card in the 79th minute, Ferran Torres’ goal being ruled offside, a penalty shout for a foul on Dani Olmo, and Musso’s reckless challenge that left Fermín López with a bloody mouth.
“For Eric’s red card, Jules Koundé was there to cover, so Eric wasn’t the last man,” Laporta said. “The referee already had the yellow out, but VAR stepped in again. Ferran’s offside call was harsh, and we should’ve got a penalty for Olmo. Then there was that kick to Fermín’s face, no card, nothing. Totally unacceptable. We filed a complaint after the first leg, and UEFA told us it was ‘inadmissible.’ Well, we’re not done. We’re asking for more answers, and we’ll keep pushing because this whole situation is what’s really inadmissible.”
Barça actually started strong, with Lamine Yamal and Torres scoring early to inspire hope of a comeback. But Ademola Lookman put Atlético back in control, and when García got sent off, Barça spent the last 15 minutes with only ten men. Their wait for another Champions League title, going back to 2015, drags on.
Atlético, still hunting for their first Champions League trophy, now move on to face either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the semifinal.
Barça’s young star Lamine Yamal tried to lift spirits afterwards, posting on social media: “We gave everything, but it wasn’t enough. This is part of the journey. If you want to reach the top, you have to keep climbing. We know it won’t be easy, and not everyone wants to make it easy for us, but we don’t quit. Every mistake is a lesson. We’re Barça, and we’ll get back to where we belong. My parents taught me to keep my word, and we’ll bring the Champions League back to Barcelona.”
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