Why Arsenal Were Denied Penalty vs Real Madrid As Handball Explanation Emerges
- Arsenal destroyed Real Madrid 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night thanks to Declan Rice's brilliance
- The Gunners were denied a penalty in the first half after Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio was deemed to have handled the ball
- Mikel Arteta's side have been on the end of several controversial VAR decisions in the Premier League this season
Arsenal destroyed Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash. The Gunners might have scored more, including a penalty if they were awarded one for a handball.
Source: Getty Images
How Arsenal took down Real Madrid
Declan Rice's superb free-kicks and Mikel Merino's strike in the second half were enough to earn Arsenal a historic win against the European giants.
The Gunners had many chances to score more and potentially embarrass the Spanish giants, but were denied on many occasions by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois' incredible saves.
They could have gotten a penalty after Rice's shot hit Raul Asencio's hand in the first half. Referee Irfan Pelijo stopped the game briefly before it was ruled out. Rice's shot struck the defender's left arm but it wasn't given as a penalty.
In the end, it really didn't matter as Rice produced two world-class moments in the second half to secure a big win.
“This is probably up there with the best moment in my career in terms of the goals I've scored. I think the free kick is probably the best goal I've scored. I think winning next week would probably top that, by going into the semi-final and producing something special for this club," Rice said via Arsenal.com.
Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham were kept quiet for the majority of the contest and will need to step up big time to help their team mount a historic comeback.
Did Arsenal deserve a penalty against Real Madrid?
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg agreed that it wasn't a penalty.
"I'd be amazed if that's given," he commented. "The distance is very, very short. He isn't putting his arm out to make himself bigger," he said on Amazon Prime Video coverage via Daily Star.
"What we have to remember is UEFA has a different criteria to the Premier League with handball. They are more strict on their punishment on the handball...given that the hand is out-stretched, UEFA would try and give a penalty. But I don't agree that this is a penalty kick."
Arsenal have been on the end of controversial decisions in the Premier League this season, including last weekend against Everton.
The Gunners are now one step closer to their first Champions League semi-final since 2009. Real Madrid have to score four unanswered goals to eliminate the Gunners.
Supercomputer predicts Champions League winner
TUKO.co.ke earlier reported that Opta's supercomputer predicted the 2024/25 Champions League winner after Arsenal's win over Real Madrid.
The Gunners are in pole position according to their latest simulations alongside Barcelona and Inter Milan.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
