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  "path": "/2026/04/30/diego-simeone-complains-arsenal-decision-atletico-madrid-draw-28173996/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-30T00:44:49.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Football",
    "Sport",
    "Arsenal",
    "Atletico Madrid",
    "Champions League",
    "Mikel Arteta",
    "Premier League",
    "Viktor Gyokeres",
    "Ben White",
    "Julian Alvarez",
    "Eberechi Eze",
    "opinion",
    "Sign up to our daily football newsletter",
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  "textContent": "Diego Simeone has questioned Arsenal’s penalty decision after their 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid (UEFA via Getty)\n\nDiego Simeone was unhappy with Arsenal’s penalty decision after Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night.\n\nViktor Gyokeres put Arsenal in front from the penalty spot late in the first half after he was barged over in the box by Atletico centre-back David Hancko.\n\nAtletico were then awarded a penalty of their own in the second half after the ball struck Ben White’s hand from Marcos Llorente’s shot, and Julian Alvarez stepped up to equalise for Simeone’s side.\n\nArsenal felt they had a second penalty when Hancko mistimed an interception and stood on Eberechi Eze’s foot, however, Dutch referee Danny Makkelie reversed his initial decision after watching several replays on the VAR screen.\n\nWhen asked about Gyokeres’ penalty decision in the first half, Simeone said: ‘In my opinion, the first penalty involved contact from behind, the player anticipated the contact and went down.\n\nViktor Gyokeres was barged over by David Hancko inside Atletico’s penalty area (AFP via Getty)\n\n‘In Champions League semi-finals, you need a penalty that is truly a penalty.\n\n##  Get personalised football updates every day\n\nSign up to our daily football newsletter and choose your team to get the latest news, rumours and more about your favourite team.\n\n‘The referee understood that it was. On the other occasion, thanks to VAR, he understood that it was a penalty because initially it wasn’t a handball, and then, in the second instance, also thanks to VAR, it wasn’t a penalty.\n\n‘VAR sometimes gives you the benefit of the doubt and sometimes it takes it away.’\n\nArteta, meanwhile, admitted Arsenal were ‘fuming’ with the decision to overturn Eze’s penalty claim in the second half.\n\n‘The decision and then what happens for a period of time. The referee has to watch it 13 times, it’s clearer than that,’ Arteta said.\n\n‘It’s impossible, and yeah, we are all fuming about it.\n\nMikel Arteta said Arsenal were ‘fuming’ with their overturned penalty decision (AP)\n\nAsked if Atletico’s supporters and animated coaching staff had an impact on the decision, Arteta replied: ‘That has nothing to do with that.\n\n‘I’m sure they are very well aware of what the reaction is going to be. It’s normal, that reaction, we need to apply the rules.\n\n‘The same thing that I’m saying, that they applied the rules on Ben White’s penalty, that is difficult to accept, but it is a penalty with a handbook.\n\n‘And what they said at the beginning of the season, Ebs is a clear and very obvious penalty. That’s it.’\n\n**For more stories like this, check our sport page**.\n\n**Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on**Facebook,** Twitter and Instagram**.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Diego Simeone complains about Arsenal decision after Atletico Madrid draw"
}