Arsenal gagal mendapatkan penalti dalam kekalahan drama adu penalti 3-4 dari Paris Saint-Germain pada final Liga Champions di Budapest, Sabtu, 30 Mei 2026, setelah bermain imbang 1-1 hingga babak perpanjangan waktu.
Kegagalan tendangan penalti terakhir oleh Gabriel Magalhaes memastikan keunggulan PSG, sementara insiden jatuhnya Noni Madueke akibat kawalan Nuno Mendes pada babak perpanjangan waktu memicu perdebatan sengit dari para pengamat TNT Sports.
Legenda Arsenal, Martin Keown, menilai keputusan wasit Daniel Siebert yang tidak menunjuk titik putih serta ketiadaan intervensi VAR sudah tepat karena posisi lengan bek lawan.
"Mendes, what saves him, he just gets his arm across, which remains goal side," kata Martin Keown, pengamat TNT Sports.
Keown menambahkan bahwa jika posisi bek berada di sisi yang berbeda, pelanggaran tersebut pasti akan berbuah penalti.
"If he's completely the other side there, that's a penalty. The referee's right on the spot, I don't think VAR will see enough in that to overrule the referee's decision," ujar Martin Keown, pengamat TNT Sports.
Sebaliknya, komentator TNT Sports, Ally McCoist, memihak kubu London Utara dan menyatakan bahwa kontak tersebut seharusnya membuahkan penalti bagi skuad asuhan Mikel Arteta.
"I think I'm giving that, you know," kata Ally McCoist, komentator TNT Sports.
McCoist mencermati adanya gerakan lengan dari kedua pemain yang terlibat dalam perebutan bola tersebut.
"The only thing is, you look at Madueke's left arm, comes across as well," ujar Ally McCoist, komentator TNT Sports.
Mantan kapten Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, turut menyampaikan pandangannya dengan menyebut tindakan Mendes sangat ceroboh dan merugikan Arsenal.
"Do you know what? I think it's very clumsy from Mendes. I also think there's a bit of contact, I think Arsenal can be hard done by, in my opinion," kata Steven Gerrard, legenda Liverpool.
Mantan gelandang Arsenal, Jack Wilshere, juga mendukung argumen tersebut dan menekankan bahwa protes keras dari Declan Rice di lapangan menunjukkan keabsahan klaim penalti tersebut.
"I think Ally [McCoist] described it perfectly, I mean, I've seen them given, and if it was given, I don't think we'd say 'Ah, that's definitely not a penalty’," kata Jack Wilshere, mantan bintang Arsenal.
Wilshere menegaskan bahwa reaksi para pemain di lapangan memperjelas situasi emosional yang terjadi akibat keputusan wasit.
"You can see, the players on the pitch, they know, and Dec [Rice] was fuming, and he went to the ref, so, I can see it, I've seen them given," ujar Jack Wilshere, mantan bintang Arsenal.
