rewrite this title Simeone insists Atletico´s first-leg draw against Arsenal was not down to bad luck – Soccer News

Diego Simeone believes the reason Atletico Madrid drew their Champions League semi-final first leg against Arsenal was a lack of clinical finishing, rather than bad luck.

Julian Alvarez’s penalty saw the first leg end level at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano after Viktor Gyokeres scored a spot-kick of his own in the first half.

This was the first Champions League knockout stage game with more than one goal to see 100% of them come via penalties since the 2001 final (Bayern Munich 1-1 Valencia).

Atleti’s xG (2.2) was the second-highest by a team against Arsenal across all competitions this season, only behind Aston Villa in December 2025 in the Premier League (2.5).

Antoine Griezmann hit the woodwork and saw another effort blocked by Gabriel Magalhaes, while Ademola Lookman shot straight at David Raya after turning past Ben White.

When asked if Atleti’s display in front of goal came down to luck, Simeone responded: “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.”

He’s so good it seems like a video game pic.twitter.com/6pXbWirBWN

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 29, 2026

Arsenal (57) and Atleti (55) are the two teams from Europe’s top-five leagues who have played the most matches across all competitions in 2025-26, with both sides also meeting at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season.

The Gunners won 4-0 in the league phase, though Jan Oblak insisted Atleti will not dwell on that result ahead of the second leg.

“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.”