Atletico Madrid and Arsenal played to a 1-1 draw in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday in Madrid. The match, which simmered more than it sizzled, left both teams with everything to play for ahead of the second leg in north London next week.
The game was a tale of traded penalties and knife-edge tension. Viktor Gyokeres put Arsenal ahead with a first-half spot kick, but Julian Alvarez equalized for Atletico Madrid with a second-half penalty.
The contest concluded with significant drama when VAR controversially denied Arsenal a potential lead. In the 78th minute, referee Danny Makkelie initially awarded a penalty after David Hancko made contact with Arsenal substitute Eberechi Eze. However, after reviewing the pitchside screen, Makkelie rescinded the decision, ruling the contact was not strong enough and preventing Arsenal from taking a 2-1 lead into the next leg.