Atletico Madrid held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday in the second semi-final of the UEFA Champions League at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid,Spain.
Atletico were in control for most part of the first half but handed Arsenal the lead when Gyokeres was brought down by David Hanko inside the box. Gyokeres made no mistake as he converted the penalty to give Arsenal the lead at halftime.
The host equalized in the 56th minute after VAR determined that Ben white had touched the ball with his hands in the box while defending Marcos Llorente’s shot.
Argentine striker Julian Alvarez converted the resulting penalty with a thundering shot into the left corner beyond David Raya.
Arsenal thought they had another chance for a winner but a VAR review overturned a second penalty awarded to them.
“We gave it a go. We went behind early from a penalty that I thought was a bit dubious.
“We had chances to win it but it will all be decided in the second leg. They defend very well and have some very quick players up front,” Atletico captain Koke told Movistar Plus.
“We failed to finish off the game with the chances we had. We hope the match in London isn’t our last in the Champions League this season,” Koke added.
The winners after the May 5 return leg will face Paris St Germain or Bayern Munich in the final in Budapest on May 30, with PSG leading 5-4 from their first leg played in Paris. (Reuters/NAN)
