Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has hit out at English referee Michael Oliver following Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, calling his penalty decision “disappointing” and insisting it wouldn’t have been given in the Premier League.
Harry Kane opened the scoring early with a brilliant header before a costly mistake from Leverkusen goalkeeper Matej Kovar allowed Jamal Musiala to double Bayern’s lead. The decisive moment, however, came in the 75th minute when Oliver awarded Bayern a controversial penalty after a VAR review, ruling that Edmond Tapsoba had fouled Kane in the box.
Xhaka, who spent seven years in England with Arsenal, was furious with the call. “In the Premier League, he [Michael Oliver] doesn’t give that,” Xhaka told reporters. “I know Michael well, and I’m convinced he wouldn’t whistle for that in England. There are so many blocks like that in the Premier League. It was nothing.”
The Swiss midfielder lamented the decision, arguing that such a call at this level of football was unfair. “If you give a penalty for every block, there would be so many penalties every game,” he added.
Despite the heavy defeat, Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso remains optimistic about a comeback in the second leg, drawing inspiration from Liverpool’s famous 2005 Champions League final turnaround. “It is not over until it is over,” Alonso said. “We have to fight back. We will learn from this and believe in our return leg.”
Meanwhile, Kane admitted he was disappointed not to complete a hat-trick after missing a late chance but urged his team to stay focused. “It’s the first leg, we can’t get carried away,” he said. “We know how dangerous they can be, and next week will be tough.”