Mikel Arteta admitted mixed emotions following Arsenal’s draw against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg, praising his team’s performance in spells while expressing strong frustration over officiating decisions that he believes altered the course of the match.
Speaking after the tense encounter, the Arsenal manager began by acknowledging the occasion itself, describing the experience of playing in a Champions League semi-final atmosphere as a privilege.
Arteta praised the environment created inside Atletico Madrid’s stadium, highlighting the intensity that comes with competing at the highest level of European football.
“Well, first of all, what a privilege to play the Champions League semi-final in this stadium,” Arteta said. “What an energy, what an atmosphere they created. We had big parts of the game, very similar to what we wanted, we went ahead with the penalty.”
Arsenal initially controlled significant phases of the match and managed to take the lead, executing much of their tactical plan effectively. However, Arteta admitted that his side lost control briefly after the break, allowing Atletico Madrid to grow into the game.
“Unfortunately, in the second half we started a bit sloppy, with certain giveaways and giving them some momentum. And that’s the moment that they used it. That’s something that we knew we had to go through, in the manner that we gave the penalty, very disappointed,” he explained.
The Arsenal boss reserved his strongest comments for the officiating decisions surrounding penalties during the match. While he acknowledged the rules that led to Atletico Madrid being awarded a spot-kick, he admitted that he struggled to accept another key decision involving Arsenal’s appeal.
“In the Premier League, it’s not a penalty, but here I have to accept that with the rules and obviously how consistent they’ve been, for example, yesterday with Bayern Munich, I accept that this is a humble,” Arteta said. “What I am incredibly fuming with, is how the hell the penalty on Ebs gets overturned in the manner that it happened, when it’s not a clear and obvious error.”
Arteta suggested that the reversal of Arsenal’s penalty claim had a major impact on the direction of the game, particularly in a high-stakes fixture where margins are extremely fine.
“And this changes the course of the game. And at this level, I’m sorry, but this cannot happen,” he added.
