Atletico Madrid furious, but former referee debunks VAR row in Champions League semi-final vs Arsenal

Drama never leaves the football field, especially in knockout matches, and the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid was no exception as the match was marred by a major VAR controversy. The contest hit peak theatrics when Atletico was not handed a penalty against the Gunners despite a strident appeal and a VAR check.

During the second half of the action at the Emirates Stadium, Riccardo Calafiori made contact with Antoine Griezmann’s calf in the penalty zone, and Atletico called for a penalty. While it looked like they would get to equalise, they were offered no penalty despite a VAR check.

As outrage erupted over Atletico’s missed penalty call, a former Champions League and Premier League referee has explained why Los Colchoneros were not handed a spot kick against Arsenal.

Why no penalty to Atleti

Former referee Mark Clattenburg said that while VAR initially checked Riccardo Calafiori’s challenge on Antoine Griezmann for a possible penalty, an earlier foul in the build-up led to the final decision of no penalty.

"I think what the VAR has looked at is Calafiori’s challenge on Grizemann. He believes that’s a penalty kick, and replays show it was, but there was a foul just before on Gabriel. So they had to check the foul first, and he agrees with the referee’s analysis of a foul. Therefore, the foul outweighs the penalty kick," the former UCL referee Clattenburg said while speaking on Amazon Prime.

Atleti full-back Marc Pubill had fouled Gabriel Magalhaes inside the Gunners’ box right before the penalty challenge.

Arsenal makes it to the UCL final

Meanwhile, Arsenal edged out Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second leg to progress to the Champions League final with a 2-1 aggregate victory. This will be their first final in 20 years.

Bukayo Saka netted the game’s sole goal in the 44th minute, proving decisive for the Gunners.

The Gunners extended their unbeaten run in the competition to 14 games this season and will now face either PSG or Bayern Munich in the final on May 30 in Budapest.

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