UCL: Havertz late penalty earns Arsenal draw at Leverkusen

Kai Havertz scored a late penalty as Arsenal fought back to secure a 1–1 draw against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg clash on Wednesday at the BayArena.

The German forward kept his composure to convert from the spot in the 89th minute, sending goalkeeper Janis Blaswich the wrong way after Noni Madueke was brought down in the box by Malik Tillman.

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Leverkusen strike first after halftime

Arsenal had fallen behind for the first time in this season’s Champions League when Robert Andrich headed home a well-worked corner from Alex Grimaldo just a minute into the second half.

The Gunners entered the contest with a perfect record in the competition, and manager Mikel Arteta opted to rotate his squad, making 10 changes from the side that defeated Mansfield Town F.C. in the FA Cup fifth round at the weekend.

Despite the changes, Arsenal began strongly and almost took the lead early on. Gabriel Martinelli, who has been in impressive form in Europe this season, struck the crossbar after being set up by Viktor Gyökeres.

Leverkusen, however, defended resolutely and came close to scoring shortly after the restart when Martin Terrier forced a fine save from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. From the resulting corner, Andrich was left unmarked at the back post to head the hosts into the lead.

Arteta reacted by introducing Madueke and Havertz from the bench, a move that eventually paid off for the visitors.

Madueke’s powerful run into the penalty area was halted by a stretching challenge from Tillman, prompting the referee to award a late penalty despite protests from the home crowd.

Havertz calmly slotted the ball into the corner, although his celebration was muted against the club where he began his professional career.

Havertz satisfied with away result

“I know how hard it is to come here, and we knew what to expect,” Havertz said after the match. “We didn’t play our best today, but we’re going home with a good result. We need to step on the gas next week.”

Arteta admitted his side lost control briefly after the break but praised their late response. “In the last 25 minutes we improved again, and the equaliser was deserved,” he said.

The result leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of next week’s decisive second leg in London.