Atlético de Madrid was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League after losing 1-0 to Arsenal in London, but regardless of the result, the Spanish team finished the match with strong referee complaints for two controversial actions in the second half.
The English team advanced to its first European final in two decades thanks to a 2-1 aggregate score, while the team led by Diego Simeone once again fell short of the continental final.
The first disputed play occurred in the 51st minute, when Giuliano Simeone fell inside the area after contact with Brazilian defender Gabriel, just as he was trying to finish against goalkeeper David Raya. The German referee Daniel Siebert let the action continue and the VAR ratified the decision without sending him to review the play on the monitor.
“It was all very fast, but I felt that when I was going to finish it destabilized me and I couldn’t finish well. That’s what I felt,” Giuliano Simeone declared after the match. “The referee didn’t even go to check the VAR.”
Just five minutes later the second red-and-white protest arrived. Antoine Griezmann claimed a penalty after receiving a stomp from Italian Riccardo Calafiori inside the area. However, the referee invalidated the action by pointing out an alleged previous foul by Marc Pubill on Gabriel.
Diego Simeone avoided delving into the referee controversy, although he let his discontent be seen.
“We are not going to focus on a detail that can be seen and is very obvious,” said the Argentine coach. “We must congratulate Arsenal and continue working.”
Midfielder Koke Resurrección was also cautious, although he criticized the referee’s performance.
“I’m not going to talk about the referee. I’m sure he tried to do his best, just like in the first leg,” Koke said. “He will know how he should have refereed.”
The refereeing decisions had already generated controversy in the first match, played in Madrid, where both teams claimed actions inside the area in the 1-1 draw.
Atlético once again said goodbye to the Champions League with a feeling of frustration, while Arsenal will seek to win the European title for the first time in its history.
