Arsenal reached the Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid on Wednesday with England star Declan Rice at the heart of one of the controversial incidents
Declan Rice was convinced he was innocent in a controversial incident that saw Real Madrid stripped of a penalty vs Arsenal. The Spanish side were 3-0 down after the first-leg and thought they had a golden chance to reduce the deficit in the Bernabeu.
After Arsenal star Bukayo Saka had seen a penalty saved, Real were handed their own spot-kick as Kylian Mbappe fell under the challenge of Declan Rice, who was booked. Referee Francois Letexier gave the penalty on-pitch, only for a lengthy VAR review to lead him to overturn the decision and thus rescind Rice’s yellow card that otherwise would have seen him banned for the semi-finals.
And asked about the incident, the Arsenal star was sure that a spot-kick was not the correct decision having had a stern chat with Mbappe. Speaking on TNT Sports, the England man said: “I knew it wasn’t a penalty.
“I had my arm on him but you have to do that in the box. I’m an honest guy, I said to him [Mbappe] it’s not a pen, I would admit it if I pulled him down. He fell to the floor and I was confident it would get overturned.”
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UEFA immediately explained the call to overturn the decision with a mid-game statement. It read: “No penalty – no foul. Arsenal’s player No. 41 [Rice] did not commit a foul on the opponent.”
And a number of pundits also gave their take on the incident. Ally McCoist said on TNT Sports: “Does he give Mbappe a yellow card? I’m putting my cards on the table right now – I am delighted to see that decision.”
Ex-Arsenal defender Matt Upson, commenting on BBC Radio Five Live, added: “Declan Rice knew, his reaction told us all. He’s such an honest player. He couldn’t believe it, especially with the yellow card coming out and knowing he’s missing the semi-final.”
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Theo Walcott also gave his thoughts. He said: “The referee has created this situation, where he gave that penalty to Real – it was the right decision to overturn it. Arsenal shouldn’t have had their penalty either by the way.”
There was still time for more controversy after the cancelled penalty. Saka was involved in an angry tunnel exchange with Dani Carvajal before scoring the opening game on the night.
Vinicius Jr levelled for Real as he took advantage of a William Saliba penalty. Gabriel Martinelli scored late on for Arsenal to finally seal their spot in the semi-finals and a date with French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
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