Arsenal and Atletico Madrid played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at the Metropolitano, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in London next Tuesday.
Both goals came from penalties, with Viktor Gyokeres putting Arsenal ahead before Julian Alvarez equalized for the hosts.
The atmosphere was charged even before kick-off, with toilet paper raining down from the stands. Atletico started brightly, testing Arsenal’s defence early on.
David Raya was forced into an excellent save, tipping an Alvarez shot around the post, while Marc Pubill blocked a goal-bound effort from Martin Odegaard. Arsenal, who started Noni Madueke on the right flank ahead of Bukayo Saka, also had their moments, with Madueke himself hammering a shot just wide from distance.
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Gyokeres opens, Alvarez responds
Arsenal broke the deadlock just before the interval. Viktor Gyokeres, after an intricate exchange of passes with Martin Zubimendi, was fouled by David Hancko inside the box, earning a penalty. The Swedish striker stepped up and calmly converted, sending Jan Oblak the wrong way to give the Gunners a crucial away goal.
Atletico pushed for an equalizer in the second half, and it arrived ten minutes after the restart. Marcos Llorente’s shot bounced up and struck Ben White’s arm, resulting in a penalty for the Spanish side. Julian Alvarez, who had missed a penalty in Atletico’s Copa del Rey final shoot-out defeat earlier in April, made no mistake this time, confidently dispatching the spot-kick to level the score.
Late VAR drama and a finely poised tie
The second half saw both teams create further opportunities. Raya was called into action again, saving a powerful drive from Ademola Lookman, with Gabriel blocking Antoine Griezmann’s follow-up shot. Griezmann later came close to giving Atletico the lead, looping a shot off the crossbar before sending the rebound off target. Lookman also twice threatened to score for the home side.
Late in the game, Arsenal believed they had won another penalty when David Hancko made contact with Eberechi Eze.
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However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned, with the contact deemed minimal, much to the frustration of the Arsenal bench. Despite the late drama, Arsenal’s solid defending ensured they left the Spanish capital in a strong position for the second leg.
The draw sets up a tantalizing decider in London, with both clubs, arguably the continent’s two biggest teams never to lay a finger on the trophy, vying for a spot in the final. Atletico, three-time runners-up and in their first semi-final in nine years, will need to overcome Arsenal, the current Premier League leaders whose last Champions League final appearance was two decades ago.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has indicated he will heavily rotate his squad in La Liga before the crucial return leg, while Arsenal next face Fulham in the Premier League. In the other semi-final, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 5-4 in a high-scoring affair, as reported by beIN SPORTS.
Sources: www.beinsports.com
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