Diego Simeone is in the spotlight after Atletico Madrid and Arsenal drew 1-1 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final played at the Metropolitano.
Both goals came from penalties. First, in the 44th minute, David Hancko fouled Viktor Gyokeres, who converted the shot to give Arsenal the lead. Julian Alvarez equalized in the 56th minute, also from the penalty spot, after Ben White had handled the ball.
However, the most controversial case is another penalty that was awarded but later overturned. With the score at 1-1, Dutch referee Danny Makkelie awarded a penalty to Arsenal after Hancko brought down Eberechi Eze in the penalty area.
But, after VAR intervention and a video review on the monitor, the referee changed his decision to the delight of the Atletico players, coach and fans.
Makkelie reviewed the video for a long time and in detail. It took 45 seconds with 14 reviews of the moment of contact. During this time, the home team put a lot of pressure on the referee.
Atletico fans created unbearable noise, and the home coach shouted, gestured and jumped, telling the referee that it was not a penalty.
Simeone’s behavior on that occasion was called disgusting, but “El Cholos'” madness went viral on all social networks.
