Rice compares disallowed Arsenal penalty to Leverkusen spot-kick in Champions League final defeat

Declan Rice has drawn a direct comparison between the penalty Arsenal were denied in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain and a spot-kick the club was awarded against Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the competition, as frustration grows at the Emirates over a key refereeing decision.

The incident in question involved Arsenal winger Noni Madueke and PSG left-back Nuno Mendes, who both went to ground inside the penalty area after interlocking arms. The referee waved play on, declining to consult VAR for a penalty review. Madueke had also been central to the Leverkusen incident in the round of 16 first leg, when referee adjudged that Malik Tillman had fouled him — a decision that resulted in a penalty for Arsenal.

“I’ve not seen it back yet,” Rice said. “At first glance on the pitch, I think he’s ahead of Nuno Mendes, and if I’m looking back at the one we got against Bayer Leverkusen, it’s very, very similar. But, look, I’m not going to get into that — obviously I was gutted at the time because I thought the ref would have a look. But it was obviously not clear enough to be a pen, and I thought it was, and so did our bench and our players.”

While Arsenal’s penalty appeal was rejected, PSG were awarded a spot-kick of their own in the final after Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Ousmane Dembélé converted to equalise from twelve yards.

Manager Mikel Arteta was unequivocal in his assessment after reviewing the footage. “I watched it back and you can easily see a penalty,” Arteta said. “Especially when you see the penalties in the competition this season. The referee has made that decision; he made a different one with Mosquera, and yeah, that’s an important one.”

The contrasting decisions have intensified scrutiny on the officiating in the final, with Arsenal’s coaching staff and players united in their belief that the non-award proved decisive in the outcome of the match.