Julian Alvarez scored from the spot as Atletico Madrid held Arsenal to a tense 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Viktor Gyokeres gave Arsenal the lead just before halftime after winning and converting a penalty himself. The Swedish forward was brought down in the box by David Hancko after a sharp passing move. He smashed his shot past Jan Oblak to put the visitors ahead.
Atletico responded strongly after the break.
Julian Alvarez equalised in the 55th minute after Ben White handled Marcos Llorente’s effort inside the area. Alvarez, who missed in Atletico’s Copa del Rey final shootout earlier this month, made no mistake this time with a powerful finish.
Atletico controlled large spells of the game, especially in the second half. Diego Simeone’s side pushed Arsenal deep and created several chances as they searched for a winner.
David Raya made key saves for Arsenal, while Antoine Griezmann came close when he struck the crossbar. Ademola Lookman also threatened more than once but could not find the finish Atletico needed.
Arsenal nearly had a late chance to win it from another penalty when Eberechi Eze went down in the box. But after a VAR check, the referee overturned the decision and ruled that Hancko’s contact was not enough.
Arsenal’s defence stood firm under pressure and Mikel Arteta’s side left Madrid with the tie level ahead of next week’s second leg in London.
Atletico captain Koke praised his team’s display after the match.
“We were the team we have to be, if we play at this level we can win,” he said.
“From my point of view they didn’t create much danger against us… the team defended well and they just had that penalty.”
With the final now in sight, both sides remain firmly in the fight heading into a huge second leg.
