- VAR controversy spoils Gunners’ fun in Spain
A dramatic night of spot-kicks and VAR interventions in Madrid saw Arsenal forced to settle for a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Interestingly, both sides traded penalties in a cagey encounter that had Viktor Gyokeres firing the Gunners ahead following a clumsy challenge from David Hancko in the first half, and Julian Alvarez equalized later with an uncompromising penalty of his own.
Having controlled the early exchanges, Coach Mikel Arteta and his men ended the match fuming after a late, potential winning penalty for a second Gyokeres-related incident was controversially revoked by VAR.
However, outside of the penalty drama, Keeper David Raya’s fine save from Alvarez and a dangerous curler from Madueke were among the few highlights in a first half defined by tactical caution exhibited by both teams.
The second half saw the narrative shift dramatically as the Gunners surrendered their earlier dominance, and were forced into a desperate rearguard action. Just ten minutes following the restart, a penalised handball by Ben White allowed Alvarez to level the scoreline with a ruthless penalty. This sparked a chaotic spell for the Gunners, featuring a spectacular point-blank stop by Raya to deny Ademola Lookman, an heroic last-ditch block from Gabriel Magalhaes against Antoine Griezmann, and the Frenchman later rattling the frame of the goal.
With only ten minutes remaining, the Premier League leaders felt they had snatched victory when a penalty was awarded for a foul on Eberechi Eze, but the referee controversially overturned the decision after consulting the VAR monitor. The tension almost turned to disaster in stoppage time when Nahuel Molina’s fierce strike flew just over the bar, leaving Arsenal to settle for a hard-fought draw in the first leg.
Also, Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman fired straight at David Raya while Antoine Griezmann had a shot heroically blocked by Gabriel Magalhaes before they got their goal, with Alvarez powering home a penalty after Ben White handled Marcos Llorente’s sliced shot.
Thereafter, the home side seized total control and ramped up the pressure, turning the screw on their visitors. Griezmann came inches away with a thunderous effort that hit the woodwork, but Lookman couldn’t capitalize on his dominance, wasting a high-flying chance before shooting straight at goalkeeper Raya, despite having just brushed off White with ease.
Having to juggle the match with their Premier League title race against Manchester City, Coach Arteta fielded a weakened attack. Bukayo Saka was fit enough only for the bench after his recent return from an Achilles tendon problem and Eberechi Eze also started among the substitutes after being withdrawn early against Newcastle United on Saturday, while Kai Havertz did not travel following an injury he picked up in the same Newcastle match.
With the return leg beckoning on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the winners from both legs will face defending champions, Paris St Germain (PSG) or Bayern Munich in the final slated for Budapest, the Hungarian capital on Saturday, May 30.
The French champions PSG are leading 5-4 from their first leg and the Bavarians have an herculean task to overturn the deficit at Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday, May 6.
