Kai Havertz 'sorry' for Bayer Leverkusen as contentious Arsenal penalty seals late Champions League draw

Speaking to DAZN after the final whistle, national player Havertz - who was returning to the BayArena for the first time since his departure in 2020 - admitted to mixed emotions regarding his crucial contribution in the dying minutes of the game.

"Penalty in the last minute are not always so easy. But these are the moments I have worked for years for, to be there in such moments. That's why I'm naturally happy. I am glad that I stepped up, glad that I scored. I am naturally sorry for the Leverkusen players. But that is football and I was happy," the forward explained.

The game’s major talking point arrived in the 89th minute when Noni Madueke went down following minimal contact from Malik Tillman. Despite furious protests and a VAR review, the decision stood. Robert Andrich, who had earlier opened the scoring for Leverkusen, was left frustrated: "That is already very little. Of course he should not go down like that. I also know such situations: if you go down and maybe have the feeling: 'Oh sh*t, now I'm already down.' But that is already very, very little," Andrich told DAZN.

He added: "My feeling was that the small contact comes and he still falls a bit later. If I see it twice more, it is even less. That is surely not enough." Head coach Kasper Hjulmand was even more definitive: "No contact and then he goes down. It is no penalty."

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