"Atletico Madrid player" vents about the referee regarding Arsenal not conceding two penalties before reaching the UCL final (Video).
On 6 May 2026, Koke, the midfielder and captain of Atletico Madrid, who are fourth in Spain's La Liga, gave an interview after the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg, in which they narrowly lost 0-1 away to Arsenal, the Premier League leaders.
This defeat caused Atletico Madrid to miss the chance to reach the UCL final for the first time in 10 years since the 2015-16 season (where they drew 1-1 with Real Madrid but lost 3-5 on penalties). Meanwhile, Arsenal reached the final for the first time in 20 years, aiming for their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
The match featured controversial moments where Atletico Madrid were denied two penalty kicks. The first occurred in the 51st minute when Juliano Simeone dribbled past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya but was slightly pulled back by Gabriel Magalhães, causing him to lose balance and miss the target.
Then, in the 56th minute, Antoine Griezmann was fouled from behind by Riccardo Calafiori inside the penalty area, but no penalty was awarded again. The referee instead judged that Marc Pubill had fouled Gabriel Magalhães in the previous play.
Koke spoke about Atletico Madrid's loss to Arsenal, saying, "We are very disappointed, but I am proud of the team for giving their all. We had many chances but couldn't score, just like in the first leg where we almost scored several times. In football, you have to finish chances sharply, and they did better. They deserved to win."
When asked about the German referee Daniel Siebert, who denied Atletico Madrid two penalty calls, Koke replied, "I won't comment. He probably did his best."
"As I said in the first leg, I will not comment. He knows how to do his job as a referee, and he probably tried his best. I have nothing more to say."
