Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Arsenal: Havertz penalty salvages first-leg draw at BayArena

Bayer Leverkusen, Germany — Kai Havertz converted an 82nd-minute penalty against his former club to earn Arsenal a precious 1-1 away draw in the first leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 tie at the BayArena on Wednesday night.

Robert Andrich had given the Bundesliga side a deserved lead five minutes after the restart, steering a corner past David Raya after finding himself unmarked at the far post. The goal highlighted familiar frailties in Arsenal’s set-piece defending and left Mikel Arteta’s side facing elimination from a competition in which they entered as one of the favourites after topping the league phase with a perfect eight wins from eight.

Leverkusen, unbeaten in seven European home fixtures and missing top scorer Patrick Schick through injury, looked comfortable for much of the evening. Yet the complexion of the tie shifted when Noni Madueke replaced the ineffective Bukayo Saka on 65 minutes. The England winger’s direct dribble soon drew a rash sliding foul from Malik Tillman, and Turkish referee Umut Meler pointed to the spot.

Havertz, who left Leverkusen for £62 million in 2019, stayed composed to roll the ensuing kick beyond Janis Blaswich, silencing the home crowd that still holds him in high regard.

The equaliser preserved Arsenal’s hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals, where the victors of this meeting will face either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting CP. It also ended a run of five consecutive knockout-stage defeats for the Gunners against German opposition, albeit all of those came against Bayern Munich.

Arteta will nevertheless be wary. His side rarely imposed their usual high-tempo game, and only Martinelli’s first-half snapshot that rattled the woodwork offered genuine menace before the late drama. Defensively, the concession from a corner will prompt renewed scrutiny of the team’s hybrid zonal system.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso can take heart from his depleted squad’s performance. With goalkeeper Mark Flekken, defenders Arthur, Loic Bade and Lucas Vazquez, plus attackers Nathan Tella and Eliesse Ben Seghir all sidelined, the hosts still dominated stretches of play and restricted Arsenal to limited clear chances.

Both camps now turn their attention to next Tuesday’s return leg in London, where a single goal could decide a tie that remains tantalisingly poised.