Champions League: Exciting 1-1 draw at Atlético and Arsenal

Controversial intervention by the video referee may have prevented a preliminary decision on the Champions League final on Wednesday evening. In the semi-final game between Atlético Madrid and Arsenal FC from London, when the score was 1:1, the VAR surprisingly encouraged the field referee Danny Makkelie to check the third penalty of the game – and thus brought about the extremely controversial cancellation of a foul penalty that would have given Arsenal FC the chance to make it 2-1. Atlético defender David Hancko had previously stepped on the foot of an Arsenal striker. Due to VAR intervention, the score remained 1-1 – after penalties and goals. After Arsenal center forward Viktor Gyökeres took the lead (penalty kick/44th), Atlético’s Argentinian attacker Julián Álvarez equalized with a hand penalty to make the final score 1-1 (56th).

The height of the fall could not have been greater after the extra-galactic 5:4 the previous evening between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, the other semi-final of the Champions League season. The trip to the Estadio Metropolitano felt like a subway ride to a tapas bar after a stretch limousine ride the night before at La Trainera, perhaps the kingdom’s best seafood joint. Which doesn’t mean that you can’t get your fill or enjoy a meal in more modest restaurants.

At the Metropolitano it was Martin Odegaard who first attracted attention. The Arsenal captain’s desire to take control of the game and to give his team’s tentative attacks a deeper meaning was obvious. Only: Neither of the two teams that met in Madrid was willing to display the kamikaze character that PSG and Bayern had shown the evening before.

On the contrary. Their primary concern was the avoidance of errors, not the pursuit of validity. Both teams were comparatively deep and compact against the ball. The big exceptions of the first half came from Atlético’s Argentinian center forward Julián Álvarez, who fired a shot from the box in the 14th minute and was denied by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. On the other hand, Arsenal right winger Noni Madueke, who narrowly missed the goal in the 30th minute, also from a distance. The excitement was limited until Atlético broke the lethargy that had set in by making exactly the small mistakes that Arsenal had hoped for – until the ball landed in the penalty area at the feet of Viktor Gyökeres. Atlético defender David Hancko pushed the Swede near the penalty spot, Gyökeres fell over and the referee whistled a stern, almost merciless penalty. Gyökeres didn’t miss the chance – and converted to take the lead 1-0 (44′).

The deficit wasn’t the only problem that Atlético dragged into the second half. Coach Diego Simeone had to replace the attacking Filius and winger Giuliano due to injury and replace him with central defender Robin Le Normand. But contrary to belief, this did not inhibit Atlético. On the contrary, Simeone’s team took a step forward until the ball was in the net to equalize. First, Álvarez missed the right angle with a free kick from 20 meters so narrowly that half of the stadium screamed “Gol” and then fell silent in horror (49th); then Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann missed a double chance (54th). Ultimately, however, the video referee helped Atlético get a hand penalty: Ben White stopped a shot from Marcos Llorente with his hand, and Julián Álvarez safely converted to make it 1-1 (56th).

The goal was like an adrenaline rush. The entire Atlético family – team, coach, supporters – felt that they had grabbed Arsenal by the lapels. Fans tested the stadium’s statics by jumping in and out of the stands; The team on the pitch tested the resilience of the Arsenal defense. Griezmann proved how vulnerable this can be when he hit the left corner of the cross in the 63rd minute; and Lookman, when he finished so imprecisely from eleven meters that Arsenal goalkeeper Raya was able to hold on to the line. What was more serious for Atlético than the missed opportunity was that Álvarez had to be replaced injured and will probably have to worry about playing in the second leg. But then the hour came for the video referee – in Atlético’s favor.