By EFE
The English press has described dand “stole” the penalty that the VAR did not award to Arsenal in the last minutes of the 1-1 draw against the Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
The British newspaper “The Telegraph” opens the cover of its sports edition stating that VAR went “too far”, when reviewing the assumption stomp on Eberechi Eze and suggest to the referee that he reverse his initial decision to call a penalty. “Arsenal was robbed,” they write in the subtitle.
Arsenal thought they were going to appreciate the chance to retake the lead from the set aside in opposition to Atletico Madrid after Eberechi Eze went down beneath an ache from David Hancko.
But after a size VAR overview, the likelihood modified into overturned.
Modified into that the honest name? pic.twitter.com/wItsG2aNxR
— The Athletic | Soccer (@TheAthleticFC) April 29, 2026
In “The Times”, one of the most prestigious in English territory, they headline “Not even senseless UEFA decisions can ruin a decent Arsenal night.”
“Of the three penalties that were awarded, The one that was canceled was the one that should have been whistled the most.“, writes the journalist from “The Times”, who adds: “Would Atlético’s preferred handball penalty have been awarded in the Premier League? “Probably not.”
On the British BBC channel, they explain that David Hancko “clearly hunts Eberechi Eze with his boot after he has touched the ball.”
“Soft? Absolutely. A clear and obvious mistake (for the VAR to overturn it). Based on other UEFA incidents, the decision should have been that of the on-field referee.”
Furthermore, English experts and commentators stressed that These actions hurt Arsenal.
Ian Wright, one of the greatest ‘Gunners’ legends, posted a screenshot of Hancko and Eze’s action on his social networks, accompanied by the phrase “the home team would have been whistled for.”
Former Madrid player Steve McManaman, who commented on the match on British television TNT Sports, complained about Diego Simeone’s behavior and his pressure on the referees and described it as horrible.. “It has been unfortunate,” he added.
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