Mikel Arteta Reacts As Arsenal Draw 1-1 vs Leverkusen in R16 UCL at BayArena
- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reacted to the Gunners' 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena
- Kai Havertz's 89th-minute goal ensured that the North London club secured one point against the German team on Wednesday, March 11
- Arteta explained what Arsenal did wrong in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16
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Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has reacted to the performance of his team following their 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday, March 11.
Robert Andrich gave Leverkusen the lead in the first half, before Kai Havertz equalised with one minute to go at the BayArena.
In the 7th minute, Christian Kofane forced Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya into a save before Ibrahim Maza lashed a left-footed strike over as Leverkusen looked to make their early pressure tell.
Source: Getty Images
In the 19th minute, Leverkusen were saved by the crossbar with Viktor Gyokeres laying the ball off to Gabriel Martinelli, who rattled the woodwork with his weak foot.
In the second half, the home team almost found the back of the net within 10 seconds, but Raya was forced to tip Martin Terrier's header over the bar.
Leverkusen found themselves in front as Alejandro Grimaldo delivered a corner to the back post, which was headed in by Andrich.
In the 84th minute, Arsenal wasted a golden opportunity when an unmarked Timber headed over from close range, but the Gunners would have one final opportunity.
One minute from regulation time, Noni Madueke skipped inside and was needlessly tripped by Malik Tillman, as Havertz stepped up to squeeze the penalty past Janis Blaswich and into the bottom-left corner.
Arteta reacts to draw vs Leverkusen
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said his players failed to give total concentration from the beginning of the game.
The Spanish coach said the game improved following his substitution in the second half of the UCL Round of 16.
Source: Getty Images
Arteta said via Sky Sports:
"The game had very different periods. We started well, had a massive chance, hit the crossbar with Martinelli.
"We didn't pay enough attention on the kick-off, and after they score the goal. We had to stay emotionally very composed, we improved with the changes and found a way to draw the match.
The Arsenal manager said the equaliser was a big deal for the team. He said:
"Football has funny and nice stories, and it was really impressive the way Kai took the penalty, really composed. It was a big goal for us."
This is the first time Arsenal has gone behind in the UEFA Champions League as they entered into the match with an 100% record, per BBC.
Arteta reacts to FA Cup drama
Legit.ng earlier reported that Mikel Arteta reacted after Arsenal nearly faced an upset against Mansfield in the FA Cup ahead of their Champions League game.
The Gunners struggled to a 2-1 win over the EFL League One Club, and Arteta described the match as the beauty of the historic FA Cup.
Source: Legit.ng
