Arsenal picked up one of their biggest wins in history in the Champions League against Real Madrid.
The North Londoners scored two in the second leg after netting three in the first to secure an emphatic 5-1 win over the defending champions.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side had a mountain to climb ahead of the second leg, but many in Spain believed that Real Madrid would turn it around at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Galacticos had a few moments in the game on Wednesday night, but they just couldn’t do enough to get the better of Mikel Arteta’s side.
The Spanish press feel the referee and the VAR are to blame for that.
Spain’s media think referee made a big mistake during Real Madrid vs Arsenal
Francois Letexier was the referee for Real Madrid vs Arsenal on Wednesday night.
The Frenchman has been a regular in the Champions League this season, having managed seven games before the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Letexier made it very clear early on that he was not going to let the game go. Arsenal were awarded a penalty after VAR asked him to re-watch an incident between Mikel Merino and Raul Asencio.
Then, a few moments later, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty when Declan Rice was adjudged to have fouled Kylian Mbappe, but the VAR once again asked Letexier to have a second look.
After a lengthy check, the referee decided to overturn his decision, much to the relief of Arsenal fans who were dreading an early goal against them.
Spanish media outlet AS are not happy with that decision and have gone as far as calling it ‘nonsense’.
They wrote: “And then, the big mess loomed. Rice grabbed Mbappe when he was going to finish and Letexier awarded a penalty.
“A slight grab, interpretable, but that did not need VAR intervention. The referee had already judged the intensity. The [VAR] room interfered; it took more than five minutes to send the troubled Frenchman to the monitor for an out-of-protocol review, it is not known whether due to the grab or a phantom interference from Rodrygo, and he decided to annul the penalty.
“Everything was inexplicable, nonsense. Football put through the microscope is not football. The fans sensed a double standard. Madrid ended up adding to that confusion. Getting lost in refereeing meant diverting the shot and it happened.”
Did the referee and VAR get it wrong?
Refereeing a high-profile, high-pressure Champions League game at the Santiago Bernabeu when Real Madrid are trailing is one of the most difficult jobs in football.
Letexier was under enormous pressure from the first minute, and VAR further complicated things for him by causing a huge delay.
But, did the referee get it wrong?
Speaking exclusively to Arsenal Insider, former referee Mark Clattenberg claimed that Mbappe did not deserve a penalty and that Letexier was right to overturn his decision.
Furthermore, Clattenberg claimed that Arsenal didn’t deserve their penalty either because the ball was nowhere near Merino when he was fouled.
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