More often than not, two-legged ties leave you in a kind of limbo after the first 90 minutes. That certainly feels like the case for Arsenal following last night’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.
Mikel Arteta’s side put in a solid performance, particularly in the first half which they largely controlled, but they know there is no room for complacency when the two teams meet again in London on Tuesday.
Last night came down to fine margins. A slight nudge on Viktor Gyokeres led to a penalty that just evaded the fingertips of Jan Oblak. After the break, a mishit shot deflected off Ben White’s leg onto his arm, with VAR deeming it another spot-kick. Then there was the clip on Eberechi Eze’s ankle that looked a penalty in real time, only for it to be overturned after what felt like endless replays.
Even the width of the woodwork had its say, with Antoine Griezmann striking the post in the second half. And, for good measure, the length of the grass became a talking point too, after Arsenal’s backroom staff raised concerns with UEFA before kick-off.
“We have mixed feelings,” Bukayo Saka told the Arsenal media team afterwards.
“We’d like to have come away with a win, but we’ll take the draw. It’s half-time, and we’re confident going back to Emirates Stadium.
“We’re really excited, and we’re going into that one with full confidence. A draw isn’t bad, but I would say we’re never really satisfied if we don’t win, with the talent in the group.
“We want to win, and we’ll try and do that next week.”
Saka’s sentiment was shared by fellow attacker Gabriel Martinelli, who also struck an optimistic tone about Arsenal’s chances of reaching the Champions League final for the first time since 2006.
“Yes, of course,” answered the winger when asked if he’s confident. “We play for Arsenal, we know how big the club is and we trust in ourselves.
“We wanted to come here and win the game. We take the draw, playing away from home. We have a big one next week in our place, so we go for it.
“We could have done things better. It’s the semi-final of the Champions League, of course the opponent is going to be really good as well.
“We take the draw, we go to London, and we want to win the game to go to the final.”
Much of Mikel Arteta’s post-match analysis centred on the controversial VAR intervention that led to Dutch referee Danny Makkelie overturning his decision to award Arsenal a second penalty.
“Incredibly fuming,” was the Spaniard’s reaction to the incident, which many felt was influenced by the home crowd and bench.
That moment, coupled with Diego Simeone confronting Ben White for walking over an Atletico club crest, inconveniently placed in front of the players’ entrance, suggests there could be an added edge when the tie resumes in London.