The coach of Bayer Leverkusen erupted in frustration after Arsenal came back to equalize in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg.
Kasper Hjulmand, coach of Bayer Leverkusen, expressed strong anger, stating that Arsenal did not deserve the penalty awarded during their 1-1 draw in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg last night. He confirmed that the pressure for the second leg would be entirely on Mikel Arteta's team.
The key moment came in the 89th minute when Arsenal was awarded a penalty after Noni Madueke fell following only slight contact from Malik Tillman. Despite protests from the home side, VAR confirmed the penalty for Arsenal, and Kai Havertz converted to level the score at 1-1.
Hjulmand said, “I have mixed feelings. It was a very good performance against a top-level team. Of course, we’re disappointed with the final moment. Winning 1-0 is obviously better than drawing 1-1. It was not a penalty—I did not see any foul at all. But that’s how it went.”
“We are heading to London with hope. I believe Arsenal will be under heavy pressure.”
Additionally, Hjulmand praised Robert Andrich, who scored the opening goal, noting that he almost substituted the 31-year-old midfielder early on because Andrich had received a yellow card in the second minute.
“I thought about substituting Andrich out, but luckily I didn’t. He is an experienced player and performed excellently.”