Arsenal star 'grabbed by the neck' by injured Real Madrid defender after humbling Champions League defeat
One of Arsenal’s biggest stars appeared to be physically assaulted by a Real Madrid player after dumping Los Blancos out of the Champions League.
The La Liga giants were eliminated from the European competition by the Gunners last night, with a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu putting them through to the semi-finals on a 5-1 aggregate. They will play Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a place in the final.
Arsenal’s advantage could have been stretched even further, were it not for Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saving a penalty from winger Bukayo Saka, who attempted to panenka the Belgian. For the uninitiated, this is where a player lightly dinks the ball into the air, floating into the middle of the net as the goalkeeper (usually) dives to a corner.
Courtois, however, predicted the England international’s attempt and caught the ball with ease.
Commentating on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex-Arsenal player Matthew Upson said: “I just can't believe the selection of penalty here from Bukayo Saka. I am so surprised. It's such a bad penalty.
“He's chipped it to the side Thibaut Courtois dives to.”
To some, the panenka is considered to be a ‘disrespectful’ way of taking a penalty, and has been frowned upon in the past. The penalty miss didn’t get in the way of Arsenal - nor Saka - scoring later in the game, but did cause some controversy after the full-time whistle.
After all the players on the pitch shook hands and headed down the tunnel, one Real Madrid player confronted Saka over his panenka attempt. Things quickly escalated from there, and appeared to get rather physical.
Live TV footage showed Madrid defender Dani Carvajal, who is currently out injured with an ACL problem, grab Saka by the neck and gesture aggressively towards him. Teammates quickly rushed onto the scene, with Saka pushing Carvajal away as Arsenal defender Ben White stepped in.
At the time of publication, there has been no punishment for Carvajal and no investigation has been launched. The Spaniard is probably feeling hot under the collar at the moment anyways, having been sidelined since October last year and likely being replaced permanently in the starting XI by Trent Alexander-Arnold next season.