Atletico Madrid 1-1 Arsenal: Arsenal have late penalty ruled out but still leave Madrid with first-leg draw

Arsenal will hope home advantage can get them over the line in the second leg

Atl9tico Madrid and Arsenal played out a competitive 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final, as the Gunners extended their unbeaten run in this year's tournament to 13 matches (W10, D3).

- Arsenal are undefeated in their last 13 games in the UEFA Champions League, their longest unbeaten streak in the competition (since at least 2004/2005).

- Atletico Madrid have scored in 14 of their 15 games, no team has done so more often in the Champions League.

- Atletico Madrid have scored in their last 12 games in the UEFA Champions League, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition (since at least 2004/2005).

Contesting a second successive UCL semi-final for the first time in their history,0Arsenal knew a rock-solid start was needed in the Spanish capital, where Atl9tico were unbeaten in their previous six UCL knockout games against English sides (W3, D3).

Roared on by the vociferous home support, Diego Simeone’s men created the first meaningful chance of the match, as David Raya reacted smartly to parry a curled effort from Juli1n Alvarez around the post.

The Gunners responded well to that scare, though, with captain Martin 8degaard seeing a dangerous strike blocked by Johnny Cardoso, before the lively Noni Madueke fired wide from 25 yards.

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Having emerged victorious from five of their preceding six UCL trips this campaign (D1), Arsenal continued to stamp their authority on proceedings as the first half progressed, and Mikel Arteta’s men were rewarded shortly before the break when D1vid Hancko clumsily bundled into the back of Viktor GyF6keres in the box.

The Swede dusted himself off and assumed the responsibility from the spot, powering a confident penalty through the grasp of Jan Oblak to score his 19th goal of the season, giving the Gunners a valuable advantage at HT.

Determined to find an immediate response, Atl9tico came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second period, with Alvarez flashing a free-kick into the side-netting and Ademola Lookman seeing a close-range shot repelled by Raya.

The hosts’ pressure showed no signs of relenting, and they were soon awarded a penalty of their own when Ben White was penalised for handball in the box. Alvarez stepped up to the spot for the Rojiblancos, and the talismanic Argentine swept a clinical penalty beyond a stationary Raya to restore parity.

Armed with the momentum heading into the final half-hour, Atl9tico went agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 63rd minute, as Antoine Griezmann’s clipped effort bounced off the bar.

The hosts remained the more threatening of the two sides in the final third, but profligate finishing from Lookman and a smart stop from Raya kept Arsenal on level terms.

Those misses looked to have proved costly when the visitors were awarded their second penalty of the evening after Hancko was adjudged to have tripped substitute Eberechi Eze, but the decision was eventually overturned following a lengthy VAR review.

Despite that reprieve, the hosts struggled to rediscover their attacking spark in the closing stages, as Arsenal held firm to extend their unbeaten run in the tournament, and take a positive scoreline to North London next week.

As for Atl9tico, they’ll travel to the Emirates with plenty of confidence despite failing to win, having progressed from six of their last seven semi-final appearances across all UEFA competitions.

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