Inter Milan secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Arsenal in their Champions League clash on Wednesday, with Hakan Çalhanoglu scoring from the penalty spot.
The goal came just before half-time after a contentious handball decision against Arsenal’s Mikel Merino.
With this strike, Çalhanoglu continued his perfect record, netting his 19th penalty in 19 attempts since joining Inter Milan.
The match began with Inter on the front foot, nearly scoring in the second minute when Denzel Dumfries’ powerful shot hit the crossbar.
Çalhanoglu also threatened Arsenal’s goal before the game settled into a tense, strategic contest with few risks taken by either team.
Arsenal looked poised and controlled defensively but found themselves trailing in the 45th minute.
Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs awarded Inter a penalty after a handball by Merino, despite protests and a VAR check that upheld the call.
Çalhanoglu stepped up confidently and converted past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, ensuring Inter led at the interval.
Gabriel Magalhaes reacts at the end of the UEFA Champions League football match against Inter Milan. (Photo by Piero Cruciatti/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In the second half, Arsenal applied significant pressure in pursuit of an equalizer, creating numerous opportunities, with Kai Havertz coming close to scoring twice.
His efforts were denied by Inter’s goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who produced a commendable performance to keep the Gunners at bay.
Arsenal registered 14 goal attempts in the second half and 14 corners.
However, the London club failed to find the creativity needed to break through Inter’s resolute defense, leaving them outside the top eight in the Champions League standings with seven points from four games.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration after the game, particularly at the refereeing decisions.
He was incensed by the penalty awarded against Merino and another incident earlier involving a clash between Merino and Sommer.
“I don’t understand [the handball decision],” Arteta said. “If that is a penalty, then the one on Mikel Merino where he [Sommer] punches him in the head has to be a penalty 1000 percent. These are the margins in this game, and it’s very difficult to accept.”
Arteta, however, found a silver lining, asserting that despite the defeat, this performance was one of Arsenal’s best in European competition in recent years.
He remained optimistic ahead of their upcoming Premier League match against Chelsea, stating, “If we play the way we played, we have a good chance to win against Chelsea.”
The result handed Arsenal its third defeat in six matches across all competitions, adding pressure as they aim to climb back into a more secure position in the Champions League standings.
