Arsenal’s attempt to qualify for the Champions League has been encountered with a difficult obstacle in the form of their match against Inter Milan. The club captained by Mikel Arteta is experiencing a great deal of strain as their campaign is faced with yet another setback as a result of a contentious penalty decision that resulted in Inter taking the lead.
The event occurred when Hakan Çalhanoğlu, a player for Inter, skillfully converted a penalty, which was granted after the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened to condemn Mikel Merino, a player for Arsenal, for a handball.
There was a lot of controversy around the judgment, especially when considering the events that led up to the punishment. The hand of Merino was struck by Mehdi Taremi’s flick-on during a free kick, which resulted in the penalty call being issued. Merino had been in close proximity to the ball and had very limited time to react, which led to the players and supporters of Arsenal feeling that the judgment was unfair.
To add insult to injury, Arsenal had already been through a problematic situation earlier in the game, which only served to exacerbate their fury. The forceful clearance made by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer had caused Merino to collide with the pitch.
after the fact that the midfielder remained to play after the hit, the event raised doubts about the referee’s consistency in making judgments. The midfielder seemed startled by the impact. Merino’s unintentional handball was penalized, but Sommer’s aggressive assault on Merino was not addressed by the referee. Arsenal supporters were eager to point out the disparity in the way the two events were handled by the referees.
In addition to Arsenal’s increasing list of complaints over the refereeing during their voyage through the Champions League, the penalty offered Inter a chance to take a key lead. The timing of the call was especially distressing for Arteta’s side, as they had been exerting a lot of effort and generating possibilities up until that moment.
Inter’s momentum turned in their favor as a result of the penalty, which forced Arsenal to pursue the game under conditions that became more difficult.
Due to the fact that the call has huge repercussions for Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, Arteta, who has frequently expressed his opinions over the judgments made by the referees, is likely to address the matter in public.
Arsenal is already up against tough opposition in their group, but now they have an even more difficult climb to make in order to ensure that they advance to the next round.
The decision had a discernible effect on the morale of the Arsenal players, and Arteta will face the challenge of refocusing his team and finding opportunities for them to channel their dissatisfaction in a useful manner throughout the remaining group stage matches. In spite of the setback, Arsenal’s quality is still very much present, and Arteta will want to unite his men behind a newfound feeling of desire.
Considering that Arsenal’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League are currently in jeopardy, their resiliency will be put to the test. During the time that the squad is getting ready for the upcoming matches, they will have to triumph over not only their opponents but also the aggravation that is associated with the most recent refereeing judgment.
