Arteta: Unacceptable referee decision, you can't overturn the decision when you have to watch the video 13 times

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta called the referee's decision to disallow Eberechi Eze's penalty "completely unacceptable" after his team drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Eze went down in the penalty area in the 78th minute of the match in Madrid after David Hancko appeared to step on him. Referee Dani Makeli initially awarded a penalty, but after a VAR review, he overturned his decision, leaving the match tied 1-1.

"There is clear contact. You make the decision, you can't undo it when you have to watch the footage 13 times. It is completely unacceptable at this level. It was the wrong decision," Arteta said after the game.

Asked at a press conference whether Arsenal would lodge a protest with Uefa over the decision, Arteta said it was up to the club to decide what was best.

"They won't give us a penalty now. That's it. That's over," Arteta said.

Arsenal led at half-time thanks to a goal scored from the penalty spot by Viktor Đekereš, after Hancko carelessly ran into him and brought him down in the penalty area.

In the 55th minute, Atletico were awarded a penalty after Ben White was hit in the arm by Marcos Llorente's shot. At the call of VAR, referee Makeli reviewed the footage from the pitchside and awarded a penalty, which Alvarez converted to equalize.

Arteta, regarding the decision, said that the interpretation of handball in the Champions League is different from the Premier League.

Speaking about his team's overall performance in Madrid, Arteta said he was proud of his players.

"I really appreciate what they did because I've seen some of the best teams in the world fall apart here and concede three or four goals. We didn't get the result we wanted, we wanted to win, but it's still all in our hands, in front of our fans," said Arteta.

"We want to be in that final and on Sunday we will have the opportunity to do that," concluded the Arsenal coach.

The return match will be played on Tuesday in London.

The second semi-final will feature defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Paris Saint-Germain won the first leg 5-4 at home on Tuesday night, with the return leg scheduled for next Wednesday.