Long grass, pitch watering antics and a cancelled penalty were all not enough to stymie Arsenal in the end.
They have come too far to be fazed by such chicanery. The Gunners turned up at the Estadio Metropolitano with a conviction and robustness that has lacked at times in this campaign — but now leaves them on the verge of reaching a first Champions League final in two decades.
For a season that has been widely mocked by doubters, and pulled apart by analysts, the north London club could well have the last laugh come May. There’s a long way to go still, but a remarkable turnaround may be on the cards.
Atletico Madrid are no mugs and did their level best to make things tricky for Arsenal, through their dark arts and a frontline boasting Julian Alvarez, Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann. That’s enough firepower to frighten most backlines across Europe.
Back to the trickery first. The visitors had complained to UEFA officials before the match about the length of the grass, which set the tone for what was to come.
At half-time, the Spanish side appeared to water the half Arsenal were defending more than the other. No trick was off limits.
Arsenal were up to the task as they drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League
The Gunners had to deal with all sorts of dirty tricks from Diego Simeone’s side but stood firm
In times gone by, these sort of dark arts, paired with a raucous crowd which launched dozens of toilet paper rolls onto the pitch prior to kick-off, would have affected the Gunners’ psyche.
Not anymore. It energised them. Even Eberechi Eze’s penalty, which was harshly overturned by the VAR, didn’t sidetrack the team. They were causing havoc in Atletico’s own backyard and leaving them to clean it up.
Noni Madueke played with a directness which, this time, didn’t involve running the ball out of play on multiple occasions.
He darted through early on and played a promising ball into the area, and had a strike whistle past the goalframe after shimmying past a few players.
Declan Rice put in lung-busting display across the pitch, showcasing both his defensive and attacking acumen.
But it was the performance of Viktor Gyokeres which made the biggest mark, because it was not expected.
His past failures to link-up with team-mates, who have been accused of not trusting him at times, and knack to go missing in matches has hurt the Gunners.
Maybe the news of Arsenal targeting Alvarez for this summer had ignited the Swede. Whatever the motivation, the forward played with ferocious intent. He made a fantastic early run to provide his captain Martin Odegaard a great opportunity to score, his shot blocked.
Soon after, he won Arsenal’s penalty after being pushed in the back by David Hancko. Again, he was in the right areas and causing problems.
A raucous home crowd launched toilet paper onto the pitch prior to kick-off on Wednesday
Despite the recent criticism he has faced, Viktor Gyokeres led from the front for the Gunners
The result was a penalty buried past Jan Oblak. Not in the corner, but powerful enough to fly past the goalkeeper.
It took his tally to 19 goals across all competitions. To put that into perspective, Bukayo Saka’s 20 goals in the 2023-24 season was Arsenal’s most-recent top scorer in a season.
Before that, it was Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang’s 29 strikes in the 2019-20 campaign. He receives a lot of flak, but Gyokeres has more than contributed in terms of output.
Alvarez struck a penalty of his own and looked sharp on the ball, Arsenal’s backline wary whenever the Argentine had the ball.
David Raya was required to make a solid stop on 15 minutes, Alvarez having used neat footwork to make space and shoot at goal.
Yet, he didn’t overshadow Gyokeres on a night where the Swede was overlooked before kick-off.
He deserves credit for this. The occasion did not get to him. And thanks to Gyokeres, Arsenal are well on track for a place in the Champions League final. That is some feat.
