Playing at home, Arsenal played very openly and pressured their opponents in the first minutes of the match. In the first 2 minutes of 6 and 7, striker Lacazette had a beautiful volley that hit the ball to the edge of the post and then a header in an open position but could not beat goalkeeper Oblak.
Under the pressure created by Arsenal, defender Vrsaljko received 2 consecutive yellow cards in the 2nd and 10th minutes after unnecessary fouls that forced Atletico to play with one less player for the remaining time. Not only that, coach Simeone was also fired from his position as a referee due to a mistake in his reaction to the referee.
The loss of a man forced Atletico to fight back against Arsenal's attacks. With good courage, Atletico played steadily and ended the first half with a score of 0-0
In the second half, Arsenal controlled the ball well against their opponents but they lacked speed and innovation in their attack. In the 61st minute, Lacazette broke the deadlock for Arsenal with a beautiful header after a cross from Jack Wilshere, opening the score.
After scoring, the home team showed signs of declining, while Atletico waited for the opportunity to launch a counterattack.
In the 82nd minute, centre-back Koscielny failed to clear the ball after a long pass, giving Griezmann a chance to face Ospina, and the French striker did not miss the opportunity to equalize 1-1.
This was also the final score of the match. With this result, Arsenal will be at a disadvantage in the second leg on the opponent's field as they will have to make more efforts in the second leg if they want to win a ticket to the final.
After announcing his departure at the end of this season, coach Wenger began to be appreciated, despite being continuously opposed before. Many people hope that the "Three Lions" will have a good result to gain an advantage before the second leg and win a ticket to the final like a beautiful farewell after 22 years of leading the "Gunners". However, there was no gift for Wenger, when Atletico were too strong.
In the remaining match, the home team Marseille easily defeated Salzburg with a score of 2-0 thanks to goals from Thauvin And N'Jie.
