Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak has defended the controversial VAR decision that denied Arsenal a penalty during their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Metropolitano. The Gunners thought they had secured a second spot-kick when Eberechi Eze was brought down by David Hancko, but referee Danny Makkelie initially pointed to the spot before overturning his call after reviewing 13 replays at the VAR monitor.
Oblak's Verdict on the Penalty Incident
Oblak, 33, expressed relief that the decision was reversed but remained confident he could have saved the original penalty. Speaking after the 1-1 draw, the Slovenian shot-stopper said: "It was an intense game from both sides. Both sides were looking for a win but I think we had a good game. At 1-1, there's a lot to decide in London next week."
He added: "There's always relief when a penalty is overturned, I hope I would have stopped it anyway. It was the referee's decision to change it and we agree with him. I was close to stopping the first penalty but it was just the power. He hit it with maximum power but it's in the past. We need to focus firstly on the weekend and then to London."
Looking Ahead to the Second Leg
Oblak dismissed the memory of Arsenal's 4-0 victory in the group stage, insisting the return leg will be a different contest. "We will not think about the previous game where we lost 4-0 there. I believe it will be a different game and we will do everything to get a good result and get to the final. We don't think about lifting the trophy, first we need to work on the pitch in the second leg. Arsenal want to win the Champions League as well so we need to pass them first."
Other Penalty Decisions in the Match
The overturned penalty was the third spot-kick decision of the night. Arsenal had been awarded a first-half penalty after Viktor Gyokeres was fouled by Hancko, while Atletico received their own penalty following a handball by Ben White. Atletico boss Diego Simeone commented: "In my opinion, the first penalty involved contact from behind, the player anticipated the contact and went down. In Champions League semi-finals, you need a penalty that is truly a penalty. 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. VAR sometimes gives you the benefit of the doubt and sometimes it takes it away."
The second leg at the Emirates promises to be a tightly contested affair, with both sides eyeing a place in the final.
