Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday was not without its drama, as there were several controversial refereeing decisions.
Bukayo Saka was denied a penalty in the last minute after a collision with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and Harry Kane was lucky to escape a red card after appearing to elbow Gabriel Magalhaes.
Kane later claimed that he was shocked he even received a yellow card, and has now highlighted how Arsenal were also lucky to avoid punishment for a potential penalty offence.
In a mistake which was seemingly missed by the referees and linesman, David Raya passed the ball to Gabriel from a goal kick, but the centre-back seemed unaware that play had started, and picked it up to reposition it.
It has been argued that this should have resulted in a penalty, and Kane has now hit out at the fact that it was ignored.
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Harry Kane slams Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya after Arsenal avoid penalty vs Bayern Munich
Speaking via CBS Sports after the game, Kane claimed that the set of events surrounding the Arsenal pair were “strange.”
“They had a decision at the end which sometimes go your way, but we also had a clear penalty which would have been really strange,” he stated.
“When the keeper passed it to Gabriel, and he picked the ball up in his box but it was a stonewall penalty, and I don’t know why the ref didn’t give it.
“It would have been strange. But the ref blew the whistle, he passed it, he picked it up, it would have been child-like, but that’s not our problem.”
Arsenal escape punishment for Gabriel Magalhaes mistake
Although Gabriel did handle the ball in the box, which within the rules, should have been a penalty, the referee was right not to penalise him for what was obviously a mistake, which did not give his side an advantage in any way.
Raya handing the ball to Gabriel to start goal kicks is a common practice employed by the Arsenal pair, but the mistake came as Raya sent the ball to his defender with his foot rather than hands, meaning the ball became live.
A Champions League quarter-final being affected by such a mistake would not have been within the spirit of the game, and whilst some may consider Arsenal fortunate to avoid giving a penalty away, common sense dictates that this was not an offence worth giving a potential goal to Bayern.