Kai Havertz netted a late penalty to help Arsenal equalize against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match at the BayArena.
The German striker, who played for Leverkusen for a decade before joining Chelsea for £71m in 2020, placed the ball past Janis Blaswich in the 89th minute after Malik Tillman fouled Noni Madueke.
Arsenal fell behind for the first time in this season’s competition when Robert Andrich scored with a well-executed header from an Alex Grimaldo corner just one minute into the second half.
The Gunners entered this match boasting a perfect record in the Champions League this season, and manager Mikel Arteta aimed to assert control over the contest by making 10 changes to the team that easily defeated Mansfield in the FA Cup fifth round over the weekend.
Arsenal began strong and nearly scored first when Gabriel Martinelli—with six Champions League goals this season—was located by Viktor Gyökeres and struck a shot against the crossbar.
Leverkusen defended vigorously and nearly surprised the visitors at the beginning of the second half with a cleverly executed kickoff move that concluded with a header from Martin Terrier being saved by keeper David Raya.
However, from the resulting corner, Andrich found himself unmarked at the back post to strike a powerful header.
Arteta brought on Madueke and Havertz from the sidelines after falling behind, and both played a role in the equalizer.
England winger Madueke’s powerful drive into the area was halted by a lunging challenge from Tillman, resulting in a penalty being given, much to the frustration of the home fans.
Havertz showed composure to place his penalty into the corner, and the 26-year-old striker’s celebration was restrained against the club he joined as a youth in 2010.
Although they lost their winning record in the tournament, Arsenal will be satisfied to have secured a draw and head into next Tuesday’s second leg as favorites.
Arsenal will face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, 14 March (17:30 GMT), prior to the second leg of their last-16 clash against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, 17 March (20:00 GMT).
Leverkusen hosts Bundesliga titleholders Bayern Munich at the BayArena on Saturday (14:30 GMT) in the league.
