The Norwegian midfielder was left clutching his ankle in agony (Pictures: Getty / Viaplay)
Arsenal fans were absolutely livid with Manchester City midfielder Rodri after the Spaniard wiped out Martin Odegaard during Saturday night’s clash with Norway.
The Gunners skipper was in action for his nation in Malaga and had a great opportunity to open the scoring, collecting a pull-back, dropping a shoulder to side-step Dani Carvajal and then firing off a left-footed shot.
Although his effort was blocked before it reached goal, Odegaard was wiped out afterwards by Rodri with the midfielder hitting the deck in agony amid calls for a penalty.
In Rodri’s defence, the 26-year-old did appear to slip slightly before diving in, though he nevertheless completely wiped out Odegaard and ploughed through his standing foot.
The Arsenal man – who, of course, is tussling with City for the title – immediately rolled around in agony clutching his ankle before getting up to his knees and yelling at the referee to give a penalty.
Despite what looked like a clear foul inside the box, the referee was not referred to the monitor by VAR and just moments later Dani Olmo gave Spain a 1-0 lead.
Arsenal fans were furious with Rodri’s tackle, with both players’ names quickly trending on Twitter.
Odegaard looked in genuine discomfort after the tackle from Rodri (Picture: AP)
One supporter wrote: ‘Absolutely horrible foul from Rodri on Odegaard. Incredibly, no penalty given! Rodri under Pep’s orders to injure our captain?’
Another said: ‘Odegaard denied a clear penalty. Rodri trying to end Arsenal’s title run with a nasty red card challenge. Fuming.’
Of course, Manchester City fans were rather less sympathetic, with one writing: ‘Rodri’s on a mission to hospitalise that Kevin De Bruyne wannabe.’
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Although clearly annoyed he did not receive a penalty, Odegaard shook off the incident and was able to continue playing and he did not appear to have picked up an injury.
The flashpoint follows Odegaard’s compatriot – and City striker – Erling Haaland withdrawing from international duty with a groin injury, with his father, Alfie, revealing he is a doubt for next weekend’s clash with Liverpool.
Speaking to Norway’s TV2, he said: ‘First and foremost, it is the national team that makes the decision, but they cooperate, of course. They must have as much knowledge as possible about this and of course ask the doctors and physios at Manchester City. Then they come up with something together.
‘Manchester City has a partnership with a hospital in Barcelona. He has been there for further checks and treatment. Now he has been here [in Marbella] for a couple of days with the physio from the club. So he gets good follow-up.’
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The Norwegian midfielder was left clutching his ankle in agony.
