1. Arsenal should have had a penalty
WITH THE SCORE at 1-0, Arsenal had a strong claims for a penalty against Barcelona at the Nou Camp this evening.
Teenager Alex Iwobi, who was making his first Champions League start, went through on goal, only for his legs to collide off the knee of Javier Mascherano.
Replays suggested Mascherano did not intend to foul his opponent, but that should not matter according to the letter of the law.
Referee-turned-analyst Howard Webb was among those to suggest the officials got it wrong, and given that a similar incident involving Damien Delaney a few weeks back resulted in a penalty, it seems as if Arsenal were hard done by.
And not only would the penalty have got Arsenal back in the game, with Mascherano being the last man, the officials would also have had to send the Argentine international off.
Whether the Gunners could have fully capitalised from this situation remains doubtful, but it would certainly have made the contest far more even.
2. Luck plays its part in Bayern’s resurrection
Bayern produced a remarkable comeback tonight, but there is no doubt that there was an element of luck to Pep Guardiola’s side’s dramatic rejuvenation.
A poor clearance from Manuel Neuer at 1-0 enabled Alvaro Morata to coolly slot the ball into the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed.
The Juventus player was wrongly adjudged to be offside, and so the Italians were denied a chance to double their advantage, before a classy goal from Juan Cuadrado ultimately put them further ahead.
The visitors — who were without injured key players Giorgio Chiellini, Paulo Dybala and Claudio Marchisio – ultimately ran out of steam, as Bayern earned a 4-2 extra-time victory, but Juve certainly have a right to feel aggrieved that this key first-half decision did not go in their favour.
3. Complacent Barcelona
Barcelona may ultimately have progressed 5-1 on aggregate this evening, but that scoreline does not fully reflect how this two-legged tie panned out.
Tonight in particular, Arsenal looked the better team at times, although there was a sense of complacency and casualness in the Catalan side’s approach — as if they could go up a gear only if required.
Yet the stats perhaps indicate the big difference between the sides — Arsenal had 20 shots on goal compared with Barca’s 17, but while the hosts had eight attempts on target, the Gunners only had three.
On another night, Arsenal could have made this game a whole lot closer, but Danny Welbeck was among the culprits as the English side wasted some gilt-edged opportunities.
Arsenal neglected to sign the top-class striker many felt they needed last summer, and perhaps now, they are paying for this contentious decision.
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