Two penalties secure a draw for Atlético and Arsenal
Arsenal returned from their away match against Atlético Madrid with a valuable 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Arsenal took the lead in the first half through a Victor Gyuqueres penalty in the 44th minute. Gyuqueres has now scored five goals in 13 Champions League appearances this season.
In the second half, Atlético equalized with another penalty, converted by Julián Álvarez in the 56th minute, marking his tenth goal in 14 Champions League matches.
Atlético goalkeeper Hanko conceded a penalty in the 78th minute when he fouled substitute Eberechi Eze, who had replaced Martin Ødegaard in the second half.
After a three-minute delay, Dutch referee Danny Mechele overturned his decision following a VAR review, and the match ended in a draw. The tie will now go to the second leg next Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium in London, the British capital.
Atletico Madrid reached this stage after eliminating their domestic rivals Barcelona with a 3-2 aggregate victory, while Arsenal knocked out Sporting Lisbon of Portugal.
The winner of this tie will face the winner of the other semi-final between defending champions Paris Saint-Germain of France and Bayern Munich of Germany in the final on May 30.
Atletico Madrid and their manager Diego Simeone will face a tough challenge in the second leg to avoid a repeat of their disastrous 4-0 defeat to Arsenal last October in La Liga.