The 1-1 draw between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday kept the pass to the final on hold, after two goals from penalty kicks by Victor Luqueris and Julián Alvarez, and a remarkable brilliance from goalkeeper David Raya, while the two sides awaited the decisive second leg at the Emirates Stadium in London.

Published on: 04/29/2026 - 23:55

Spain's Atletico Madrid confrontation with its guest Arsenal ended in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, leaving the ticket to the final of the competition suspended until the return match next Tuesday in London.

The two goals were scored from two penalty kicks, as Arsenal took the lead first through Swede Victor Yukiris in the 44th minute, before Argentine Julián Alvarez equalized for Atletico in the 56th minute, after video assistant technology intervened in counting the kick.

Atletico's first most dangerous attempt came in the 14th minute, when Italian Matteo Rodgeri created a wonderful ball for Alvarez, who shot a curved ball that was brilliantly blocked by Spaniard David Raya. On the other hand, Englishman Declan Rice threatened the Madrid goal with a pass that led Noni Madueke's dangerous shot off the post.

Arsenal turned to the attacking advantage at the end of the first half, taking advantage of a mistake by Slovakian defender David Hantsko on Yukiris inside the area, and the latter converted the kick with confidence, scoring his fifth goal this season in the Champions League.

At the beginning of the second half, Argentine coach Diego Simeone tried to revitalize his team by making defensive and offensive changes, and the danger of Alvarez increased, as he once again threatened to shoot wide of the goal before Atletico got the penalty kick that awarded the tie.

The subsequent minutes witnessed Atletico's field control and successive chances through Antoine Griezmann and Ademola Lookman, but Raya's brilliance and the crossbar's intervention prevented the result from turning the score in favor of the hosts.

Mikel Arteta at Arsenal relied on a strong substitute bench, bringing in Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Ebereche Eze in an attempt to restore the lead, but the Madrid defense held out until the final whistle, so that the return match at the Emirates Stadium remained decisive for the future of the two teams in the tournament.

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.