Atletico hit back to hold Arsenal in cagey semi-final first leg

Atletico Madrid and Arsenal traded penalties on Wednesday as Julian Alvarez’s second-half spot kick cancelled out Viktor Gyokeres’s first-half goal to earn the hosts a 1-1 draw in a Champions League semi-final first leg that simmered more than it sizzled.

In a tense and tactical game, Atletico enjoyed more possession early on but handed Arsenal the lead in the 44th minute when Gyokeres was brought down by David Hancko inside the box. The Sweden striker struck the penalty firmly past Jan Oblak to send Arsenal in at halftime ahead.

Atletico equalised in the 56th minute after the VAR spotted a Ben White handball inside the box from Marcos Llorente’s shot. Alvarez fired the resulting penalty into the top left corner beyond David Raya.

Antoine Griezmann rattled the crossbar a little later while Arsenal were awarded a late penalty that was overturned by the referee after a VAR review. The winners will face Paris St Germain or Bayern Munich in the May 30 final in Budapest, with PSG leading 5-4 from their first leg.