Watching the first leg, most people will probably land on the same thought: this was a completely different type of semi-final from the one between PSG and Bayern. That game moved faster and offered more open football. This one was harder, slower, more calculated and full of collisions rather than beauty.
Arsenal went to Madrid with a clear plan. Do not lose the game, absorb the pressure, and if the chance appears, hurt Atletico. They managed exactly that before half-time, when Viktor Gyokeres won a penalty and calmly converted it himself. It was the kind of moment that rewarded discipline and reminded everyone that this Arsenal side can still take something big from a night that never feels flowing.
Gyokeres had already shown before the goal why so many see him as the striker for evenings like this. More than once he came out on top in physical duels with Atletico defenders, took the hits and forced the back line to work harder than they wanted. That is why it still feels slightly strange that he was later taken off together with two other attacking players at a point in the game when Arsenal could have used someone to hold the ball, punch back and inject some defiance.
Atleti, however, showed exactly why Simeone's football survives at this level year after year. They did not panic. They did not fall apart after conceding. They raised the tempo, the stadium dragged them forward and Arsenal began to look like a side running shorter on breath. The equaliser came the same way Arsenal's lead had: from the penalty spot. The handball decision against Ben White will remain a source of grumbling for many, particularly because the ball appeared to come off his leg first, but the referee pointed to the spot and Julian Alvarez did not forgive.
From that moment the picture of the game shifted. Atletico looked more alive, more dangerous and more direct. Chances started to come, and Antoine Griezmann once again reminded everyone why his class has never been in doubt. He plays with a natural ease, always seems to know where the space will open, and there is still that old sense of regret that he never ended up in an Arsenal shirt despite all the noise years ago. He is one of those players you cannot help but respect, even from the opposite side.
Arsenal survived that spell, but they did not look fully calm. Heavy legs, uncertain passing and that familiar April tension crept back into the frame. At times it still looks incredible that a team good enough to reach a Champions League semi-final and stay alive in the league run-in can also look as if one mistake will make the whole thing collapse. That is not a question of talent. It is a question of nerve. At this level, nerve is often measured as closely as ability.
The new batch of substitutes did not particularly change the feeling. Saka was surprisingly quiet. There were moments when he looked about to break, pull away and open the game, but it was nowhere near enough to alter the tempo. That brings the focus back to the same point again: Gyokeres has to play, and he has to be fed. Whatever kind of match it is, nights like this still feel tailor-made for him to show strength, stubbornness and competitive fire. If the midfield do not see him early enough, then all the running and duelling can only go so far.
Zubimendi, too, did not look like a man in full command of the centre. He seems to be going through a slight dip in form, and Arsenal still miss a presence in that zone who can simply rip through the pitch and restore balance when the game starts slipping. Of course it is easy to talk from the stands or from a sofa, where we are all world-class coaches in our own heads. But some things are visible even when you wish they were not.
In the end Arsenal can be satisfied with the result. But satisfied does not mean fulfilled. Mikel Arteta spoke afterwards about the many positives, while also making it clear how angry he was about the overturned penalty on Eze and how strongly he felt that moment could have shifted the tie in a different direction. That is probably the whole truth of the evening: Arsenal remain alive, Arsenal bring the tie back to London, but the feeling remains that there was more there to take.
That is still not a small thing ahead of the return leg.
Now attention turns to the weekend and another obstacle in the league. Arsenal will once again need enough freshness and enough clarity to do what supporters have been waiting too long to see: take advantage of an inferior opponent, release the handbrake and attack without hesitation, the way this side can when they truly let their game go. What comes next asks for points, goals and confidence.
If you want reports and previews like this as soon as they go live, the subscribe option is now quietly waiting on the site, without noise and without nagging.
Stay with us for this thrilling finish to the season's remaining competitions. If Madrid was a test of endurance, London will be a test of courage.
Author: B.