Arsenal advanced to the Champions League final with a 2-1 aggregate victory, securing a 1-0 win in the second leg at Emirates Stadium. However, according to Cadena SER and several Spanish refereeing experts, Atletico should have been awarded two penalties, making for a controversial night for the refereeing team led by Daniel Siebert.

The first incident occurred early in the second half. William Saliba's careless header allowed Giuliano Simeone to steal the ball and face the goalkeeper. As Simeone prepared to shoot, center-back Gabriel Magalhaes impacted him from behind. The 23-year-old son of coach Diego Simeone lost his balance and fell while shooting, sending the ball wide of the post.

Gabriel (red shirt) impacting Giuliano Simeone in the 51st minute of Arsenal's 1-0 win over Atletico in the Champions League semifinal second leg at Emirates Stadium, London, England, on 5/5. Photo: screenshot

According to Athletic, Gabriel wrapped his arm around Giuliano, sufficient to prevent the Atletico forward from shooting as intended. Despite this, the referee did not award the visiting team a penalty, and VAR quickly confirmed the on-field decision.

The newspaper suggested the situation was controversial. Gabriel was clever enough to create an impact without making the contact overtly obvious. Consequently, Atletico had grounds to protest, as Gabriel's force clearly affected Giuliano's ability to finish.

After the match, Giuliano affirmed he was impacted. "Everything happened very fast. What I felt was that when I shot the ball, I lost my balance and could not finish properly," the midfielder said. "The referee did not even review VAR in a few situations, like mine or Antoine Griezmann's. All decisions went against us."

A more significant controversial play occurred in the 56th minute. Following a scramble inside the Arsenal penalty area, the ball fell to Antoine Griezmann. As the French forward prepared to shoot, defender Riccardo Calafiori stepped on his standing foot.

Calafiori's challenge on Griezmann. Photo: screenshot

Atletico players immediately demanded a penalty, but Siebert did not point to the 11-meter spot. Instead, he determined that Marc Pubill had fouled Gabriel Magalhaes earlier, effectively ending the play before Calafiori's contact with Griezmann.

This decision sparked strong reactions from Spanish media. Cadena SER commentator Dani Garrido asserted the referee "overlooked a clear penalty" and the match was affected by "a serious error." He further criticized the German referee for showing too much favor to the home team and calling too many unnecessary small fouls.

Former Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez also sided with Atletico on this play. He maintained that Calafiori had indeed fouled Griezmann. "It was a stamp on the standing foot. For me, this is a penalty," Iturralde stated.

However, the former La Liga referee also explained why VAR did not intervene. According to him, if the referee had already blown the whistle for Pubill's foul on Gabriel before Calafiori's stamp, VAR would not be permitted to review the subsequent situation. In other words, a prior foul call eliminated the possibility of VAR correcting the error.

Dispute between Gabriel and Pubill immediately before Calafiori stepped on Griezmann's foot. Photo: screenshot

Atletico's frustration stemmed from Iturralde's disagreement with the Pubill foul call. He stated that replays showed Gabriel actively withdrew his foot to avoid contact, and the Atletico player was not in a dangerous position. "If Pubill really kicked Gabriel, the Arsenal defender's foot would have sprung back by inertia. But he pulled his foot back," Iturralde analyzed.

Meanwhile, Athletic also commented that Calafiori "appeared to have committed a clear foul," but the refereeing team believed the preceding challenge invalidated all subsequent events. Slow-motion replays suggested that referee Siebert did not blow the whistle before Calafiori stepped on Griezmann's foot.

Notably, the second-leg controversy unfolded just days after both teams expressed anger at VAR in the first leg in Madrid. Arsenal was furious when a penalty awarded to Eberechi Eze was overturned after the referee reviewed the screen. Coach Mikel Arteta at the time called this decision unacceptable and believed it altered the dynamic of the tie.

This time, coach Diego Simeone did not directly criticize the referee, only hinting: "Sometimes VAR gives you something, sometimes they take things away from you."

Hoang An compiled