Arsenal accused of receiving referee favoritism after 'narrow defeat' in Germany

Robert Andrich was one of the most impactful names in Bayer Leverkusen's 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, but after the final whistle, the German midfielder spoke less about his opening goal than about the highly controversial conceded goal in the final minutes of the match.

Speaking after the match, Robert Andrich - the scorer of the opening goal - criticized the refereeing in the game against Arsenal. According to him, referee Halil Meler's decision to award a penalty to Arsenal was incorrect.

“I have mixed feelings about this match. On one hand, we played well. But on the other, we should have won today. Now the pressure for the return leg has eased for them. Of course I wish things had gone differently, but we still believe we can create a surprise,” Andrich said.

Andrich added: “That amount of contact is insufficient. Tillman shouldn't have fallen like that. Upon review, the contact was even less significant. How could they not say ‘Let's cancel the penalty’? It truly wasn't enough to award a penalty.”

Leverkusen's head coach, Kasper Hjulmand, shared Andrich's viewpoint. Speaking to Sky Sport, he said: “To me, that was not a penalty. I think sometimes referees shouldn't whistle immediately; they should let the play continue and then check with VAR, ensuring everything is 100% certain and safe. But once he whistled, it no longer was a ‘clear and obvious’ situation. For me, it simply wasn't.”

“It would have been better if we had won 1-0, but football is like that. I didn't see it as a penalty, but the decision was made. Overall, the team performed well, and we will go to London next week full of hope.”

The frustration of Andrich and the entire Leverkusen team is not without basis when examining the contact incident. In the 87th minute, Madueke made a speedy dribble on the right flank before unexpectedly cutting inside, catching Leverkusen's defense off guard. Tillman had to slide tackle to stop him, and Madueke simply waited for that to fall, prompting referee Meler to award a penalty to Arsenal.

After consulting VAR, the decision stood, and Arsenal received the penalty. Kai Havertz then made no mistake, scoring the valuable equalizing goal for Arsenal.

Nevertheless, emotions cannot change the result. Arsenal left Germany with a 1-1 draw and will return to Emirates for the return leg on March 17th with a clearer advantage over their opponent. For Leverkusen, the greatest regret is not only a victory slipping away, but also the feeling that they were robbed of their deserved reward in the most decisive moment of the match.