Arsenal fans have been left convinced that Oleksandr Zinchenko smashed the ball off Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes’ face in a moment of ‘revenge’ during their Europa League clash.
The Gunners were in Portugal for the first leg of their last-32 tie, and were trailing 1-0 when the incident occurred. Zinchenko had the ball on the left wing and attempted to cross it into the box, but it was blocked by Fernandes.
The Ukrainian then proceeded to launch the ball back at the Sporting Lisbon star, and it appeared to hit him in the face. The incident was not seen by the referee, and Fernandes was able to continue playing.
However, Arsenal fans were quick to take to social media to suggest that Zinchenko had deliberately aimed the ball at Fernandes’ face in a moment of revenge.
The speculation was fuelled by the fact that Fernandes had been involved in a number of controversial incidents during the match, including a clash with Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos which resulted in the Greek international being sent off.
Fernandes had also been involved in a number of other incidents, including a clash with Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno which resulted in the German being booked.
The incident between Zinchenko and Fernandes has since been widely discussed on social media, with many Arsenal fans convinced that the Ukrainian had deliberately aimed the ball at the Sporting Lisbon star’s face in a moment of revenge.
The incident has also been discussed by pundits and former players, with some suggesting that Zinchenko should have been punished for his actions.
However, the incident has been largely overlooked by the authorities, and it remains to be seen whether any action will be taken against the Ukrainian.
Regardless of the outcome, it appears that Arsenal fans are convinced that Zinchenko was seeking revenge against Fernandes for his earlier actions, and the incident has certainly added an extra layer of intrigue to the Europa League tie.
