Bukayo Saka made the wrong decision to go down in search of a penalty for Arsenal against Bayern Munich during Tuesday night’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Emirates.
That is the view of former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore, who believes the young English winger should have stayed on his feet and attempted to score, rather than look to win his side a penalty kick.
The closing stages of Tuesday night’s blockbuster game saw Saka move the ball onto his left as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer came rushing out to close him down.
The winger went to ground claiming a foul before referee Glenn Nyberg ignored the forward’s appeals.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka labelled ‘cheat’ for poor decision against Bayern Munich
And Collymore thinks Saka’s (unsuccessful) attempt to unfairly win the Gunners a spot-kick served him right with the ex-Liverpool star labelling the 22-year-old’s recent antics ‘cheating’.
“He [Saka] took the easy option, the option Harry Kane also takes for club and country, and that’s to “win” a penalty,” he said in an exclusive interview.
“Although you’re not actually winning anything, what you are doing by taking this easy option is robbing the fan in their seat a chance to see you do something they can’t on a pitch, you’re robbing the sport of a potential iconic Champions League moment, and most importantly, you’re robbing yourself of the opportunity to utilise the skills you work on all week, the skills that should have gone around the keeper and slotted that ball home.
“All because nobody in the game has the balls to call it out for what it is… Cheating.”
Arsenal’s failure to win a last-gasp penalty means they will travel to Germany next week for what is a finely poised second leg following Tuesday’s 3-3 scoreline.
Do you agree with Collymore? – Should Saka be reminded by Mikel Arteta to stay on his feet where ever possible, or was the winger’s decision to go to ground against Bayern justified? – Let us know in the comments below.