LEVERKUSEN, March 12 — Arsenal’s eight-game winning run in the Champions League came to an end as they needed an 89th-minute penalty from substitute Kai Havertz to rescue a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in their last-16 first leg yesterday.
Former Leverkusen player Havertz converted the late spot kick to cancel out Robert Andrich’s 46th-minute header for the hosts, marking the first time this season that quadruple-chasing Arsenal had fallen behind in Europe’s elite competition.
The sides will meet again on Tuesday in London for the return leg and a spot in the quarter-finals.
“We had the game well under control, but didn’t score,” said Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta. “Then we let the game slip away. That was unnecessary. We gave them hope and it was a different game.”
“In the last 20-25 minutes, we played better again and I think the equaliser was deserved,” said Arteta.
The Premier League leaders, who had won all eight of their previous matches to top the table after the league phase, had Leverkusen on the back foot in a bright start and Gabriel Martinelli rattled the crossbar with a powerful shot in the 19th minute.
The hosts, however, soaked up the early pressure and gradually found their footing with Christian Kofane’s runs proving a constant threat for the Arsenal defence.
Leverkusen almost caught their opponents napping with a move straight from the kickoff in the second half that earned them a corner. Alex Grimaldo curled it to the far post where an unmarked Andrich headed in to give the hosts the lead.
Arteta’s team could not find a way back into the game and were toothless in attack. The coach took off Bukayo Saka after an hour to bring on Noni Madueke before also introducing Havertz to loud applause from the home crowd.
Arsenal had an excellent chance in the 85th when Jurrien Timber was left unmarked in front of goal but he sent his header over the bar before Madueke went down in the box after slight contact with Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman.
After a lengthy VAR review, Havertz kept his composure to rescue a draw ahead of next Tuesday’s return leg in London.
“The time between the penalty whistle and the penalty kick felt like an eternity, of course,” said Havertz, who spent a decade at Leverkusen until 2020.
“But in the end, you have to be mentally present in those moments. I know the stadium well and have taken many penalties from this spot. That’s why I felt good. Another big task awaits us next week.” — Reuters
