Olivier Giroud has revealed his frustration following his controversial second yellow against PSG.
Both Giroud and PSG’s Marco Verratti were sent off in the dying minutes of the Champions League clash having both received a second yellow for what appeared to be the players tripping each other up. However, if you look at the replay of the incident, it was actually Marquinhos who came in, pushing Giroud into Verratti, causing the PSG player to appear as if he’d been tripped.
Speaking after the game, Oli pointed this out.
“Being on a yellow card, I didn’t want to make waves,” Giroud said.
“I obstructed Verratti, he threw himself to the ground and I don’t understand. Marquinhos pushed me from behind and I don’t know how Verratti falls a second time.
“It escalated the situation. It’s frustrating, especially since I don’t know if the referee saw what happened.
“I was really surprised at his behaviour.”
There’s something amusing about the fact that Marquinhos was clearly trying to rile up Oli – which isn’t hard – and managed to also get his own teammate sent off in the process. Top marks there, mate.
No matter how contentious the decision, Arsenal will be unable to appeal the red as when it’s given for two yellows, it can only be rescinded in cases of mistaken identity.