Kai Havertz 'sorry' as contentious penalty rescues Arsenal draw at Leverkusen

Kai Havertz was the protagonist on his emotional return to the BayArena, converting a late, controversial penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw for Arsenal against Bayer Leverkusen. The German international came off the bench to deny his former side a famous victory in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, and said he felt sorry for his old teammates despite his decisive strike.

Reflecting after the match, Havertz admitted to mixed emotions: "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 key moment came in the 89th minute when Noni Madueke went down after minimal contact from Malik Tillman; a VAR review did not overturn the decision. Robert Andrich, who had opened the scoring for Leverkusen, criticised the call: "That is already very little.

Germany, Leverkusen

kai havertz, arsenal, bayer leverkusen, champions league, penalty, var, bayarena, noni madueke, malik tillman, robert andrich