By Eppe Franklyne
- Kai Havertz scored a late penalty to secure a 1–1 draw for Arsenal against Bayer Leverkusen.
- Robert Andrich had earlier given the German side the lead early in the second half.
- The result ended Arsenal’s eight-game winning streak in the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal’s eight-game winning run in the UEFA Champions League 2025–26 came to an end as it needed an 89th-minute penalty from substitute Kai Havertz to rescue a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in their last-16 first-leg clash on Wednesday.
Former Leverkusen player Havertz converted the late spot kick to cancel out Robert Andrich’s 46th-minute header for the host, marking the first time this season that Arsenal had fallen behind in Europe’s elite competition.
The Premier League leader, which had won all eight of its previous matches to top the table after the league phase, started brightly and put Leverkusen under pressure early on. Gabriel Martinelli came close in the 19th minute when his powerful effort rattled the crossbar.
Leverkusen gradually grew into the game as Christian Kofane’s runs posed a constant threat to the Arsenal defence.
The German side struck shortly after the restart when Alex Grimaldo delivered a corner to the far post, where an unmarked Andrich headed home to give the hosts the lead.
Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to break down Leverkusen’s defence and looked blunt in attack. The Arsenal manager replaced Bukayo Saka after an hour with Noni Madueke and later introduced Havertz, who was greeted with loud applause from the home supporters.
Arsenal had a clear opportunity in the 85th minute when Jurrien Timber was left unmarked in front of goal, but his header sailed over the bar.
Moments later, Madueke went down inside the box after slight contact with Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman. After a lengthy VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Havertz calmly converted to level the score ahead of next Tuesday’s return leg in London.
Bodo/Glimt thrashes Sporting Lisbon 3–0
Norway’s Bodo/Glimt produced another impressive performance on its artificial home turf at the Aspmyra Stadium, defeating Sporting Lisbon 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie.
The Norwegian side extended its fairytale run in the competition to five consecutive victories.
Sondre Brunstad Fet opened the scoring from the penalty spot after winning the spot kick himself around the half-hour mark. Ole Didrik Blomberg doubled the lead with a precise finish from a tight angle in first-half stoppage time.
Sporting had an early opportunity but struggled to contain the hosts thereafter.
Bodo/Glimt nearly added a third in the 55th minute when the ball bounced around the penalty area before eventually going out of play, with defender Jostein Gundersen heading the resulting corner straight at the goalkeeper.
Danish striker Kasper Hogh eventually sealed the victory in the 71st minute, slipping between two defenders to guide the ball into the net from close range.
The second leg will be played in Lisbon next Tuesday.
