Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal ref watch: Three decisions Umut Meler got wrong in Champions League draw

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Credit: Imago Wed 11 March 2026 19:51, UK Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie as Kai Havertz scored a late penalty.Gabriel Martinelli went closest to scoring for Arsenal in the first half, as his shot from the left side of the area rattled Janis Blaswich’s crossbar before being cleared away.It was the hosts who found the breakthrough, however, as Robert Andrich headed past David Raya at the back post just after the interval as he broke free from his marker from a corner.The Gunners struggled to create many clear-cut chances as the game went on, but were awarded a penalty in the closing stages as Noni Madueke went down under a challenge from Malik Tillman.Kai Havertz stepped up against his former club and dispatched past Blaswich to make it 1-1, with Arsenal in the ascendacy ahead of next week’s second leg.Arsenal’s next match sees them face Everton, and they will hope for more decisions to go their way, as Football Insider look at three calls that referee Umut Meler got wrong at the BayArena on Wednesday. MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES ⚽ Arsenal Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert verdicts and previews, and tactical analysis for every Gunners fixture.

VISIT THE ARSENAL MATCH HUBRobert Andrich should have been sent off inside the first five minutesLeverkusen captain Andrich is known for playing with his heart on his sleeve, and that certainly did not change against Arsenal as he got stuck in from the off.The 31-year-old picked up the game’s first yellow card inside two minutes as he clearly dragged Viktor Gyokeres down on the edge of the hosts’ penalty area.He was then very fortunate not to receive his marching orders just three minutes later as he body-checked Gyokeres and sent the Swede crashing to the floor with aplomb with no attempt to play the ball.Referee Meler did award the Gunners a free-kick, but decided not to show Andrich a second yellow despite the full-blooded nature of both of his early challenges, with Arsenal ruing his decision as the German then opened the scoring.Martin Zubimendi should not have been booked Arsenal fans had more reason to be annoyed in the second period as Zubimendi picked up a yellow card for a challenge that arguably should have gone his way.The Spaniard entered a 50/50 challenge with Palacios in the hosts’ half in the 69th minute, and looked to have been caught by his opposite number, who then writhed around in pain.Instead of penalising Palacios, referee Meler somehow saw fit to book Zubimendi, even though replays showed that he won the ball and was actually kicked by the Leverkusen midfielder.Arsenal did not deserve their late penalty It was certainly a contentious call from Meler to award the Gunners a late spot kick as Tillman went sliding in next to Madueke as he entered the Leverkusen box.The Turkish official wasted no time in pointing to the penalty spot, and while the decision was checked and cleared by VAR, replays showed that there was minimal contact.Had Meler not given the penalty initially, then the VAR officials would surely not have overturned the decision, but because he did, it was unlikely to be reviewed and not allowed.