Mikel Merino's X-rated VAR reaction speaks volumes as major PSG Champions League decision hurts

It did not go to plan for in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, that much is clear. The Gunners were heading into the clash high on confidence following their demolition of Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

However, . An early goal from Ousmane Dembele punctured the atmosphere within the first five minutes, and the Gunners were unable to recover.

Both teams came close to adding to the scoresheet, with and both seeing shots saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, while PSG spurned chances of their own through Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos late on.

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The did have the ball in the back of the net in the second half, with Mikel Merino heading home past Donnarumma from a delivered a free-kick. However, the Spanish midfielder was adjudged offside following a lengthy decision by semi-automatic offside technology.

The delay in reaching a verdict certainly seemed to suck the air out of the , with fans agonising over whether the decision would go in their favour for a considerable amount of time.

And when it became clear that the referee was in fact going to award a free-kick to PSG, reactions in the stadium spoke volumes - not least of which from himself.

Shortly afterwards, Amazon Prime's coverage cut back to a replay of the 28-year-old as the referee awarded a free-kick, with the midfielder seeming to say '**** madre' in his native Spanish - a fairly common expression of exasperation.

It was an understandable moment for the star, who thought he had earned parity for his team in such a huge clash. Had the Gunners gone level at that stage of the clash, there's no telling what would have happened and where they have been heading into the away leg in Paris next week.

Arsenal boss must now devise a game-plan to ensure his team overcome the odds next week to book a place in the Champions League final - and may well be hoping to push Merino back into the striker role with returning from suspension.