Arias: "In my opinion it was not a penalty"

Valencia CF ambassador and legendary former player Ricardo Arias added his voice to those speaking out about a controversial penalty decision given against the club, in the LaLiga game against FC Barcelona. The match eventually ended 2-2, with Jaume Domènech keeping out the spot kick but unable to prevent Leo Messi from scoring from the subsequent attack.

“From my point of view, and with the repetitions I saw on the monitor, I don't consider that it was a penalty. There are many people who evaluate these decisions and they must be respected, but in my opinion it was not a penalty,” he told Spanish television channel Movistar+.

Regarding the match itself Arias highlighted that Valencia CF did not back down against FC Barcelona.

“Barça dominated in terms of possession, but not in terms of clear chances, I think that Valencia CF were far better than Barça in that regard. We are seeing the Valencia CF we want to see, playing with conviction and matching Barça.”