In a thrilling encounter at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal battled to a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.
The match was not without controversy as tensions flared when Bukayo Saka’s late penalty claim was denied by referee Glenn Nyberg, who confirmed that VAR had reviewed the incident, according to Football.London.
Frustrations simmered within the Arsenal camp over the pivotal decision.
The Gunners seized an early lead in the 12th minute when Saka capitalized on Bayern’s weakened defense due to travel restrictions on their fans.
However, former Arsenal player Serge Gnabry swiftly responded, leveling the score just six minutes later.
The momentum swung in Bayern’s favor when Harry Kane converted a penalty, giving the Bundesliga side the lead heading into halftime.
Arsenal displayed resilience in the second half, with substitute Leonardo Trossard making an immediate impact by equalizing the scores shortly after coming off the bench.
As the game entered its closing stages, Saka was brought down in the box by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, igniting hopes of a dramatic late winner for the Gunners.
Despite fervent appeals from the Arsenal players, Nyberg stood firm in his decision not to award a penalty, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the second leg at the Allianz Arena.
The draw leaves both teams with everything to play for in the return fixture, with Arsenal looking to overturn the deficit on Bayern’s home turf.
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