SUMMARY
- Arsenal's first-leg UCL quarterfinal clash against Bayern Munich ended in a 2-2 draw.
- Bayern forward Harry Kane received criticism after he escaped a red card.
It was a mixed return to the Emirates Stadium for Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane. Kane’s Bayern faced Arsenal in England for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. While the game ended 2-2, neither set of teams and supporters were happy with the result. With both teams criticizing the match official’s decisions, the fans have now turned their sights on Harry Kane.
Goals from Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard resulted in a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal clash. Both teams, however, felt that they were cheated of a goal with the referee not awarding penalties. The referee’s decisions were rather controversial, including his decision to not give Kane a red card.
Harry Kane sees yellow for a high elbow on Gabriel 👀 pic.twitter.com/IhOFnlw1Nt
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 9, 2024
In the 55th minute, Harry Kane appeared to elbow Arsenal defender Gabriel just below his face while attempting to contest an aerial challenge. The referee immediately brandished the yellow card at the English skipper for his high elbow. However, the Arsenal fans aren’t satisfied with the yellow card and have been fuming at Kane escaping a red card.
Several fans have taken to social media platforms and expressed their annoyance at the decision regarding Kane’s challenge. One fan even wrote, “Its an elbow should have seen a red, typical Kane.” However, the Bayern Munich forward sounded flabbergasted in the post-match interview for being booked for what he labeled a “50-50” tackle.
Harry Kane’s dubious take on Bukayo Saka’s controversial dive
One of the two biggest talking points of Arsenal’s first-leg draw with Bayern Munich has been Bukayo Saka being denied a penalty. In the final few seconds of injury time, Saka launched a deadly-looking counterattack only that ended in Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer potentially fouling him inside the box. However, much to Arsenal’s bewilderment, the referee didn’t give a penalty.
While the Arsenal players and fans have been fuming about the decision, some fans have called out Saka for diving. Bayern’s Harry Kane was also asked to share his thoughts about the decision in the post-match interview. According to journalist Arilas Ould-Saada, Kane gave a rather dubious answer. Kane said, “It’s 50/50. If he was on my team, I would have said it’s a penalty.”
🗣️| Harry Kane on if Bukayo Saka should’ve had a penalty vs Bayern:
“It’s 50/50. If he was on my team, I would have said it’s a penalty.” [via @arilasos] pic.twitter.com/Y5tQ9SREke
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) April 9, 2024
However, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta hasn’t given his take yet on Saka’s potential foul. Upon being asked about the controversial decision, Arteta simply stated that he hadn’t taken a second look at the incident and also didn’t speak to the match official, Glenn Nyberg, about it.
Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel fumes after referee’s mistake
The second biggest talking point of Arsenal-Bayern Munich’s clash was undoubtedly David Raya’s controversial goal kick and Gabriel’s handball. In the 67th minute, Arsenal goalkeeper Raya played a short goal kick to teammate Gabriel. However, in what was a bizarre sequence of play, Gabriel stopped the ball with his hand and decided to pick it up.
Despite vehement protests from the Bayern players, referee Glenn Nyberg refused to award the Bundesliga giants a penalty kick. The German team argued that the ball was in play when Gabriel handled the ball. However, Nyberg reportedly explained to Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel that his decision to not give a penalty was because Raya had committed a mistake.
🚨 Tuchel: “The referee made a huge mistake, there was a penalty for handball”.
“I know it was a crazy situation. They put the ball down, he whistles and the defender takes the ball with his hands”.
“What makes us really angry is the explanation on the pitch. He told our… pic.twitter.com/7b3vubiZKm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 9, 2024
Following the match, Tuchel fumed in the post-match interview, “The referee made a huge mistake, there was a penalty for handball.” He also admitted that he was angered at the referee’s explanation behind his reason for not giving a penalty. Stating that Nyberg’s call to not award a penalty was a huge decision against his side, Tuchel will not set his sights on the return leg at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena in a few days’ time.