Julian Alvarez’s penalty secured Atletico Madrid a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in a nervy Champions League semifinal first leg clash.Viktor Gyokeres sent the Premier League leaders ahead from the spot just before the interval on Wednesday after he was fouled, but Alvarez followed suit 10 minutes into the second half after Ben White’s handball.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listArsenal were upset at a late penalty decision being overturned following a VAR review when David Hancko made contact with Eberechi Eze in the area.“I’m extremely disappointed and annoyed,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports.“It is against the rules. You can’t overturn that decision when you have to look at it 13 times,” which the ref allegedly did when viewing the replays.“That cannot happen at this level.”Atletico had the better of it for long periods, but Arsenal’s solid defending helped them leave the Spanish capital in a good position to return to the Champions League final 20 years after their last appearance.“We were the team we have to be. If we play at this level, we can win,” said Atletico captain Koke of his team’s second-half display on Movistar.“From my point of view, they didn’t create much danger against us … the team defended well, and they just had that penalty.”What the game lacked in the dizzying goal rush of Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the other semifinal …
