Arsenal had a strong penalty appeal turned down during their heartbreaking Champions League final defeat to PSG. Mikel Arteta's side, who were crowned Premier League champions last week, took an early lead in Budapest through Kai Havertz's brilliant strike.
PSG Equalize Through Penalty
PSG failed to create many clear-cut chances to level but the French pressure finally told after half-time as Ousmane Dembele equalised with a penalty after Cristhian Mosquera brought down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. That goal sent the Champions League final to extra-time and it was then that Arsenal had a huge penalty appeal waved away by referee Daniel Siebert.
Controversial Non-Decision
Substitute Noni Madueke got behind Nuno Mendes and fell to the floor following contact from the PSG full-back. The Arsenal bench rose in one as they passionately appealed but the referee dismissed their appeals and VAR decided not to intervene. Declan Rice berated the referee for several minutes after the decision and was eventually booked for his appeals.
The decision may live long in the memory of gutted Arsenal fans as they went on to suffer a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to PSG, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel missing from the spot.
Expert Opinions Divided
Former Premier League referee Graham Scott backed the referee's decision, telling The Athletic: 'There will be plenty of comments along the line of "I've seen them given", and I doubt a VAR would have seen enough to overturn a penalty had one been awarded. But ultimately I would rather defend the referee for keeping out of this one than try to build a defence had he succumbed to pressure and pointed to the spot.'
Speaking on TNT Sports commentary after the incident, Ally McCoist said: 'I'm not sure it's a clear and obvious error but I've seen them given. I think I'm giving that you know.' Ex-Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard added: 'Noni Madueke does great, he gets there first. I think it's very, very clumsy from Mendes. I think Arsenal can feel very hard done by.' Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, meanwhile said: 'I think I've seen them given and if it was given I don't think we would've said it wasn't a penalty. And players know, Declan was fuming.'
Rice Reacts
Rice addressed the incident in his post-match interview and said 'at first glance' he was adamant Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty. 'I've not seen it back yet but at first glance on the pitch I thought he was ahead of Mendes,' he said. 'We got one against Bayer Leverkusen which was very similar. I was gutted at the time because I thought the referee would take a look but maybe it wasn't clear enough for him to take a look. I thought it was and so did our players and bench.'
Mosquera Escapes Red Card
Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera escaped a red card in the Gunners' Champions League final loss. The Spanish defender had a nervous wait to see if he would be given his marching orders after conceding a second-half penalty in Budapest. Mosquera kept the dangerous Khvicha Kvaratskhelia quiet in the opening 45 minutes and attracted praise at half-time from Arsenal legend Martin Keown, who described his performance as 'magnificent'. But a rare mistake led PSG to being awarded a penalty and Ousmane Dembele converted from the spot to cancel out Kai Havertz's early strike.
Mosquera was already on a yellow for time-wasting at that point and many rival fans were surprised he was not shown another after bringing down Kvaratskhelia in the penalty box. But the BBC's Football Issues correspondent, Dale Johnson, has explained why under current rules the correct decision was made. 'Cristhian Mosquera could not receive a second yellow card,' he posted on X. 'It would be deemed stopping a promising attack (SPA) and a challenge for the ball. No card on a penalty. It's like the DOGSO red card being a yellow in the same situation. Both have a stepped down sanction.'
Former Premier League referee Graham Scott also backed the decision, telling The Athletic: 'That was definitely a penalty for PSG and they had a strong case for a second yellow card to be shown to Cristhian Mosquera. However, it was more clumsy and careless than it was reckless, and there was still a promising attack in the form of a penalty.'
