Clinical penalties from Viktor Gyökeres and Julián Alvarez ensured the first leg of Atlético de Madrid and Arsenal's UEFA Champions League semi-final finished level.

Viktor Gyökeres' first-half penalty gave Arsenal the lead but Atleti and Julián Alvarez had the answers in an absorbing encounter in Madrid.

Match in brief: Atleti hit back against Arsenal

A string of half-chances marked out a tight first-half contest before Viktor Gyökeres' clinical penalty sparked this semi-final first leg into life.

Piero Hincapié, Martin Ødegaard and Noni Madueke had come close for the Gunners while Atleti's Julián Alvarez stung the palms of David Raya after some artful footwork in the 14th minute and later headed over from Matteo Ruggeri's delivery.

A first-half breakthrough seemed unlikely as those chances came and went but Gyökeres had other ideas, the Swedish forward dispatching powerfully from the spot on 44 minutes having been brought down by Dávid Hancko.

Atleti were level within 11 minutes of the restart, Alvarez, Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann threatening as part of an electric start before the Argentinian forward ripped a perfect penalty into the top-left corner following a Ben White handball.

Diego Simeone's charges remained on top, Griezmann striking the crossbar and Lookman testing Raya in the ensuing 20 minutes, and enjoyed the best opportunity of the closing stages too – Nahuel Molina firing over in stoppage time. (uefa.com)

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