Kai Havertz scored a last-minute penalty against his old club as Arsenal snatched a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
The German kept a cool head under pressure after fellow substitute Noni Madueke was fouled in the box. Whether the Gunners deserved the result is open to debate. They were sloppy in the final third for much of the night and paid the price for a slow start to the second half, when Robert Andrich headed home from a corner moments after David Raya had produced a superb save to deny Martin Terrier.
If Arsenal are to progress to the quarter-finals, they will need to play a lot better next Tuesday.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos made of the action…
Mikel Arteta on the performance…
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach, speaking to UEFA: “We had the game well under control, but didn’t score. 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.
Source: UEFA.com (More from Arteta, here)
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Kasper Hjulmand on letting the in slip late on…
I have mixed emotions. We played well and didn’t concede many chances. We were active and played well with the ball. It was a top performance against a top team. Of course, it’s very frustrating that we only drew 1-1. We’re now travelling to London with high hopes. Arsenal are under a lot of pressure. We’re looking forward to this game and want to cause an upset.
Source: UEFA.com
Kai Havertz on his penalty…
The time between the penalty whistle and the penalty kick felt like an eternity, of course. 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.
Source: UEFA.com
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Noni Madueke on his impact off the bench and the penalty incident…
I always think I can make an impact, whether I start the game or I’m on the bench. I feel like my skillset is unique, so yeah, I just try to play my game and thank God to play for this Arsenal team. My instinct told me to go into the box when I picked up the ball, so I just went. When you see VAR, you just think ‘oh my days’. But yeah, obviously, I knew it was a penalty.
Source: Arsenal.com
Robert Andrich, awarded Player of the Match, on the result…
I’m leaving this match with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we played well. On the other hand, we should have won today. Now they’ll be under less pressure in the second leg. Of course, I would have liked things to have turned out differently. But we still believe we can spring a surprise.
Source: UEFA.com
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Madueke on what Arsenal can do better next week…
Our basics. On the ball we weren’t as good at threatening their box, but we will show that in London, for sure. When you score in the last minute to draw it’s a positive. We know we could have been better, but away to a top team, it’s a positive result. We came here to try to win, but when you can’t it’s good to draw. We’re fully confident heading back to the Emirates, we’re confident we can get the job done back in London.
Source: TNT Sports
Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane on taking confidence from tonight…
Anything is possible in football – we saw that today. We played against one of the best teams in the world, and we had them on the brink of defeat. That must give us hope for next week’s match. But it certainly won’t be easy.
Source: UEFA.com
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Martin Keown on Madueke’s impact…
Much more dynamic.
Source: TNT Sports
Matthew Upson on a tough watch…
The performance wasn’t great; it wasn’t a massive spectacle in the game, but they’re going back to the Emirates at 1-1 with a real chance to go through. It was Madueke’s skill and ability to go past people, but also his mindset in trying to go past people; he was direct.
Source: BBC Radio 5 Live
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Martin Keown on Havertz taking the penalty…
This took a lot of bottle because that’s the one player had probably had the most to lose in this moment and he wanted it and that for me is really impressive, puts it away emphatically. Too much pace on it for the keeper.
Source: TNT Sports
𝐁𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝟏-𝟏 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥
A late Kai Havertz penalty earned Arsenal a draw in Germany, leaving this tie finely-poised ahead of next week’s second leg at the Emirates.
#UCL
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— Opta Analyst (@optaanalyst.optajoe.com) March 11, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Karen Carney on Saka’s below-par performance…
I wondered, did he have a little bit of a knock or something? Sometimes you don’t play well as a winger, but he’s still your captain and he’s still your best player. I know there are other people fighting for places and competition, but for me, if he’s your best player, you don’t take him off, because he can produce moments of magic. It didn’t feel right? He wasn’t quite himself tonight, he wasn’t picking the right moments to take people on, and he was a little bit sloppy in possession, but he’s still the captain, he’s still the best player, and I’d still rely on him, I’d still give him another start next week.
Source: TNT Sports