Atletico Madrid fought back to earn a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Julian Alvarez netted from the penalty spot to equalise Viktor Gyokeres' own spot-kick as a tactical tweak from Diego Simeone helped the Rojiblancos battle back and avoid defeat on home soil in the Spanish capital.
Chances were at a premium during the first half, with Alvarez going closest to scoring for Atleti as he forced David Raya into a full-stretch save from the edge of the area. At the other end, meanwhile, Noni Madueke flashed a 20-yard effort narrowly wide of the post.
Arsenal broke the deadlock shortly before half-time after Gyokeres was bundled over in the box by David Hancko, and the Gunners striker picked himself up to rattle home his spot-kick.
Simeone switched formation to 3-4-3 at the break, and his side came out hungry for an equaliser. Alvarez curled a free-kick narrowly wide, Ademola Lookman fired straight at David Raya and Antoine Griezmann had a shot heroically blocked by Gabriel Magalhaes before they got their goal, with Alvarez powering home a penalty after Ben White handled Marcos Llorente's sliced shot.
The home side dominated from there, with Griezmann hitting the crossbar while Lookman wasted two more good opportunities, first blasting over the bar before he shot straight at Raya after shrugging off White.
Arsenal thought they had won a second penalty when Eberechi Eze looked to have been tripped by Hancko, but the referee overturned his decision after consulting with VAR, while Cristhian Mosquera and Declan Rice both tried their luck late on, though they couldn't find a winner, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the second leg on Tuesday.
GOAL rates Atletico's players from the Metripolitano...
Goalkeeper & Defence
Jan Oblak (6/10):
Beaten by the power of Gyokeres' penalty despite going the right way. Otherwise not stretched until Mosquera stung his palms late on, while his kicking was a little hit and miss.
Marcos Llorente (6/10):
Struggled to get into the game in the first half, with most of his involvement coming when trying to keep Gyokeres quiet. Change in formation allowed him to have more of an impact in attack as a wing-back after the break.
Marc Pubill (6/10):
Solid enough both as part of a centre-back duo in the first half and on the right of a three in the second.
David Hancko (4/10):
Broke the lines well with both his passing and dribbling, but some of his defending was suspect, most notably when he clumsily gave away the penalty. Lucky to not give away a second spot-kick after a helping hand from VAR.
Matteo Ruggeri (5/10):
Did OK up against Madueke and belatedly Saka. Use of the ball wasn't always the best, however.
Midfield
Johnny Cardoso (7/10):
Oustanding block denied Odegaard in the first half, and he got about well. Did his best to press, particularly in the second half.
Koke (5/10):
Needed to do more to keep Arsenal's midfield from dominating in the first half. Got better as the game wore on.
Antoine Griezmann (7/10):
Picked up some nice pockets of space and played some nice passes without much reward. Will wonder how he didn't score in the second half after having one shot blocked by Gabriel before hitting the crossbar.
Attack
Giuliano Simeone (5/10):
Industrious as always but struggled to get the better of Hincapie. May have picked up an injury in the first half that forced him off at half-time.
Julian Alvarez (6/10):
Partly at fault for the opening goal as his poor hold-up play but the Atletico defence under pressure. Did show plenty of threat in attack, however, and after twice going close from distance, he made no mistake from the spot. Forced off with an injury that Atleti will hope isn't serious enough to keep him out of the return leg.
Ademola Lookman (5/10):
Caused White plenty of problems, but his final ball and finishing were both lacking. Missed three big chances after the break.
Subs & Manager
Robin Le Normand (6/10):
On at the break and was a commanding presence at the heart of the Atletico backline.
Alex Baena (5/10):
Replaced the stricken Alvarez but didn't offer all that much.
Nahuel Molina (N/A):
On for the final two minutes and flashed a shot narrowly over.
Diego Simeone (7/10):
His side were too passive in the first half, but his change of formation at the break changed the complexion of the game, and hence the tie.