Last night, football fans got more than they expected from the UEFA Champions League semi-final clash for the ages between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich: the highest-scoring semi-final in UCL history, in fact, that ended 5–4 to PSG.
The match-up in the other bracket, Atlético Madrid vs Arsenal, has had very different expectations from fans before the start on Wednesday, 29 April at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain. Online, you most likely come across some version of the phrase ‘haram ball’ or ‘the haram derby’ in the chatter about the game. These are just humorous ways to refer to the defensive tactics used by both Atlético head coach Diego Simeone and Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta.
Another thing the Spanish and the English sides have in common is that they are both chasing their first UCL or European Cup trophy, and both have lost UCL finals before. Atlético lost to Bayern Munich in 1974, then to their municipal rivals Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016; while Arsenal lost to FC Barcelona in 2006.
Now, they are both eager to get another chance at glory at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, on 30 May.
The first half seemed to be bound for a goalless tie. Had that been the case, it certainly would not have surprised many, as a total of five goals had been scored in the four knock-out games Arsenal had played in this Champions League season thus far. Julián Álvarez came the closest to scoring, but his shot from the edge of the box in the 15th minute was pushed away by David Raya in the Arsenal goal after a deft dive.
In the 43rd minute, however, referee Danny Makkelie from the Netherlands gave a bit of a generous penalty call for Arsenal after a light push by Hancko on Viktor Gyökeres. Gyökeres buried the penalty into the net without any hesitation: 1–0 to Arsenal!
Atlético got a penalty of their own at the beginning of the second half, after a handball by Ben White. Álvarez took the PK with the same unstoppable speed as his Swedish counterpart on the English side earlier, tying the score in the 56th minute.
The home side remained more active after the equalizer, with Antoine Griezmann hitting the crossbar in the 63rd minute. However, the referee’s decisions remained the focus of the game for the remaining time. Makkelie awarded, then, after VAR review, rescinded a second penalty call for Arsenal with 12 minutes to go in regulation time.
No more penalties were in store for the rest of the match, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Both semi-final ties remain toss-ups ahead of the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest.
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