Arsenal couldn’t protect their lead and ended up holding on for dear life at the Metropolitano on Wednesday night, settling for a 1–1 draw against Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Mikel Arteta’s side started out solid and then a rather uneventful first half came alive when Viktor Gyökeres put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot on the verge of halftime.
But Atlético Madrid were an avalanche coming out of the tunnel and Arsenal were lucky that Julián Alvarez’s equalizer from the penalty spot was the only serious damage the hosts produced.
The tie remains wide open heading into next week’s second leg, but although it was yet another shaky and unconvincing performance, Arsenal will feel confident that they can emerge triumphant at the Emirates Stadium to advance to only their second-ever Champions League final.
Viktor Gyökeres Meets The Moment
It’s been a difficult debut season for Gyökeres wearing Arsenal’s colors—and that might be putting it nicely. Criticism directed his way has been loud for months, but under immense pressure, the towering Swede was fearless and scored Arsenal’s most important goal of the season so far.
The fact Gyökeres was in the lineup to begin with was due to Kai Havertz suffering yet another injury setback, forcing Arteta to give his struggling striker another opportunity to impress. Gyökeres was having yet another anonymous showing at the Metropolitano—though he did make a brilliant run Martin Ødegaard failed to capitalize on. But then everything changed just past the 40-minute mark.
The Swede positioned his imposing frame cleverly to shield the ball from David Hancko, who ran over him inside the box and left no choice for the referee but to point to the spot. With how difficult a season it’s been, many could’ve expected Gyökeres to shrink in such a crucial moment, but he didn’t hesitate, stepping up and firing a rocket to put Arsenal ahead in the tie.
There’s no denying Gyökeres has left plenty to be desired since joining Arsenal last summer, but on Wednesday night, when the Gunners needed him most, he delivered.
Arsenal Left Back Giveth, Arsenal Right Back Taketh Away
Piero Hincapié played one of his best games since he joined the Gunners on loan last summer, completely nullifying Giuliano Simeone and Marcos Llorente down the left flank. But as good as the Ecuadorian performed, Ben White on the other flank made sure Arsenal’s hard work came undone in just one action.
Arteta’s side were fantastic defensively, with Hincapié leading the way as he contained Atléti’s most dangerous area of the pitch. But White made another trademark costly mistake, inexplicably trying to block a shot with his arm hanging alongside him, resulting in a clear penalty when Llorente’s shot deflected off his hand.
Alvarez equalized from the penalty spot, condemning White to turn into Arsenal’s villain of the night—and it could’ve been worse had Ademola Lookman not squandered chance after chance. Arteta probably wishes he stuck to his decision to play Cristhian Mosquera over White, like he did last time out in Europe.
Hincapié was near flawless defensively and made his case to try and convince Arsenal to make his stint in north London permanent. Meanwhile, White made sure to evidence why Arsenal could be very tempted to part ways with him this summer.
Arsenal Didn’t Come Out for Second Half
Instead of getting a boost from Gyökeres's opener to come out firing in the second half, Arsenal did the exact opposite, lacking quality and intensity, letting Atlético Madrid decidedly dominate the final 45 minutes.
The first 20 minutes of the second half were a complete onslaught from the hosts, who overwhelmed Arsenal in every aspect of the game and deservedly equalized the contest.
Atlético Madrid went into the break with just five total attempts. By the time the 65th minute hit, they had total 17 shots and three big chances created. Yes, there’s a penalty to consider, but Atléti produced an xG of 2.00 to Arsenal’s feeble 0.27 in the second half. Were it not for the post, David Raya and Lookman’s wastefulness, the Gunners would’ve boarded the plane back to England trailing in the tie.
It was yet another anemic attacking display from Arsenal outside of a couple of isolated actions, but their usual defensive stoutness was anything but in the second half at the Metropolitano. Arteta must figure out what went wrong, because if his team plays another 20 minutes next week that resemble the start tonight’s second half, they surely won’t be a fortunate to only concede one goal.
Improvement Needed or Champions League Glory Is a Pipe Dream
Atlético have shown during the entirety of the Simeone era that they are capable of delivering results away at hostile grounds in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Whether it’s Bayern Munich in 2016, Liverpool in 2020 or as recently as Barcelona a month ago, Simeone’s men will be ready, and Arsenal will have to be much better if they want to make their second-ever Champions League final.
Few teams in Europe capitalize on moments of intense pressure better than Atlético Madrid, and Arsenal showcased tonight that they can be there for the taking when Simeone’s men up the intensity.
But even if Arsenal get the job done against Atlético Madrid in the second leg—which is very likely—Arteta’s side currently look miles off the level of either of its potential rivals in an eventual final.
Both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich showcased a level in their semifinal on Tuesday that Arsenal appear unable to reach right now. If Atlético Madrid could’ve easily scored three in the second half, how is Arsenal possibly going to cope against arguably the two best attacks in Europe?
Arteta and his players must unlock a new level of performance in the coming days and weeks, because on current evidence, Arsenal lifting their maiden Champions League title this season appears utopian.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Takeaways From Arsenal’s Shaky Yet Valuable Draw Against Atletico Madrid.
