Simeone: Atletico Finishing, Not Luck, Shaped Arsenal Semi-final First Legnewsline24

Diego Simeone pointed to wasteful finishing as the main reason Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 with Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, after both goals arrived from penalties in a tense and physical contest.

Julian Alvarez converted from the spot for Arsenal to cancel out Viktor Gyokeres’ first-half penalty for Atletico Madrid, leaving the tie level before the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium, with both clubs still chasing a place in the 2025-26 Champions League final.

The game produced a specific statistical landmark for the Champions League knockout stages, as this was the first tie since the 2001 final between Bayern Munich and Valencia to feature more than one goal, with every strike coming from the penalty spot during the 90 minutes.

Atletico Madrid generated an expected goals figure of 2.2 against Arsenal, the second-highest total recorded by any opponent against Arsenal in all competitions this season, with only Aston Villa’s 2.5 expected goals in the Premier League meeting in December 2025 producing a higher number.

Antoine Griezmann struck the frame of the goal and later saw another effort blocked by Gabriel Magalhaes, while Ademola Lookman created a clear opening after turning past Ben White, but the final shot went straight at David Raya as Atletico Madrid missed several promising chances.

Across the 2025-26 campaign, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have faced heavy schedules, with Arsenal playing 57 matches in all competitions and Atletico Madrid featuring in 55, and the clubs already met earlier in the season at the Emirates Stadium in the league phase.

That earlier clash in London ended in a 4-0 victory for Arsenal, but Atletico Madrid are treating that result as separate from the knockout tie, with the semi-final now balanced at 1-1 and the decisive second leg again set for the Emirates Stadium in the English capital.

When asked whether the lack of goals from open play for Atletico Madrid was linked to fortune rather than execution, Simeone rejected that idea, highlighting Arsenal’s level across the season and stressing that the decisive issue on the night was the quality of finishing.

“I don’t believe in that kind of luck, I believe in clinical finishing. The first half was even; perhaps they had more possession, but there were few clear-cut chances for either side. They’re very good, they haven’t lost a single Champions League match, they’re top of the Premier League, and the substitutes who came on and were better than the starters. Everything was spectacular leading up to a very good second half, where we had chances to win the game. We just couldn’t be clinical enough in those situations.”

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak turned attention towards the second leg in London, saying Atletico Madrid will concentrate on performance rather than the previous heavy defeat at the same venue, and emphasising that both clubs still see themselves as contenders to lift the Champions League trophy.

“It was an intense game from both sides. Both sides were looking for a win, but I think we had a good game, but at 1-1, there’s a lot to decide in London next week, the Atleti goalkeeper told TNT Sports. We will not think about the previous game where we lost 4-0 there. I believe it will be a different game, and we will do everything to get a good result and get to the final. We don’t think about lifting the trophy; first, we need to work on the pitch in the second leg. Arsenal want to win the Champions League as well, so we need to pass them first.”

The semi-final now moves to the Emirates Stadium with the aggregate score level and away goals not in effect, leaving Arsenal’s unbeaten Champions League record and Premier League leadership set against Atletico Madrid’s strong xG output and belief that sharper attacking play can still tilt the tie.