“On the evening of April 9th, Arsenal drew 2-2 with Bayern in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at the Emirates Stadium.”
In injury time of the second half, Arsenal had a good opportunity to score the decisive goal to make it 3-2. Bukayo Saka penetrated the penalty area but was brought down by Manuel Neuer. The Arsenal player demanded a penalty, but the Swedish referee refused. He didn’t even consult the VAR, immediately blowing the final whistle to end the match.
On the sidelines, coach Mikel Arteta showed clear disappointment with Mr. Nyberg’s decision. Meanwhile, Saka continuously argued with the Swedish referee. To avoid any unnecessary incident, an assistant had to run over to intervene with the young star born in 2001.
Arsenal had their penalty claim denied due to a controversial decision, missing the chance to secure their first victory against Bayern in 9 years. In the second leg, Arteta’s team will face difficulties as they have to play away at the Allianz Arena, a ground where they haven’t won since their last visit in 2013.
Saka cannot change the referee’s decision.
Regarding the controversial incident, former defender Rio Ferdinand remarked, “Neuer intentionally stuck his leg out. For me, that should have been a penalty. VAR did not fulfill its responsibility.”
Saka had a chance to decide the match but was blocked by Neuer
Returning to the match at the Emirates, both clubs treated the fans to an enthralling contest with four goals scored, evenly distributed between the two teams. Arsenal took an early lead in the 12th minute with a beautiful strike from Saka. However, defensive mistakes led to the home team trailing 2-1 to Bayern within the first half. Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane scored for Bayern in the 18th and 32nd minutes, respectively.
According to Opta, with his successful penalty kick, Kane became the player with the most goals scored against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (6 goals).
In the second half, Arsenal’s attacking efforts were rewarded with an equalizing goal of 2-2 by Leandro Trossard. The Belgian player found the net against Bayern after a smooth attacking move through the midfield. Gabriel Jesus provided the assist for the goal.