Arsenal Win, Bayern Stun Real Madrid In Champions League Quarter-finals First-leg

Kai Havertz scored deep into stoppage time to hand Arsenal a 1-0 win at Sporting CP in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night, April 7.

Mikel Arteta’s side who were under pressure after two successive domestic defeats, delivered a stubborn display at the Estádio José Alvalade before snatching the win at the death.

Arsenal arrived in Lisbon reeling from losses to Manchester City and Southampton, but produced a resilient response to silence doubts about their mentality. The visitors struggled to find rhythm and relied heavily on returning goalkeeper David Raya, who made crucial saves to deny Sporting early on.

The breakthrough finally came in added time. Gabriel Martinelli lifted a precise pass over the defence and Havertz timed his run perfectly before slotting past Rui Silva from close range.

The narrow win leaves Arsenal favourites ahead of the second leg in north London on 15 April.

In Spain, Bayern Munich claimed a 2-1 win away to Real Madrid in a tense tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Luis Díaz opened the scoring just before the break after a slick move, and Harry Kane doubled the lead moments after the restart with a curling finish. The England captain’s strike was his 11th goal of the competition this season.

Madrid responded through Kylian Mbappé, who smashed home off the crossbar to keep the holders alive ahead of the return leg in Bavaria.

Vincent Kompany’s Bayern dominated long spells and Real Madrid were repeatedly denied by Manuel Neuer at the other end. The tie will be decided in Germany on Wednesday, April 15.