Atlético de Madrid and Arsenal drew 1-1 in the first leg of their clash in the Champions League semi-finals. With a penalty goal for each side this Wednesday (29), at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, in Madrid, everything was equal in the dispute, which will be resolved next Tuesday (5), at the Emirates Stadium, in London.
Gyökeres scored for the visitors at the end of the first half, and Julián Alvarez found the net for the home team at the start of the second. After that, the hosts had good opportunities to score, but breathed a sigh of relief when referee Danny Makkelie consulted the video and overturned the penalty that had been given to the English team.
After a frantic game in Paris, with Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-4 victory over Bayern, the other Champions League semi-final had a slower pace. The first half had only one more dangerous shot from each team until Gyökeres was brought down in the area by Hancko. He took the penalty himself, in the 44th minute, and opened the scoring for Arsenal.
Behind on the scoreboard, Atlético returned from the break with a much more aggressive behavior and pressed until they sought a draw. The penalty was awarded with the help of the video referee, who indicated Ben White’s hand touch. It was up to Julián Alvarez to execute the charge, and convert it, at 11 of the final stage.
The Spanish team continued to attack and had a number of opportunities to take the lead. Griezmann hit the crossbar with a shot from inside the box. Lookman made a feint and found himself in front of goal, but shot over the Raya archer. On the other side, in a dispute with Pubill, Eze went to the ground. The penalty was awarded and later cancelled, much to the complaints of Arsenal athletes.
