Noni Madueke stamped down a marker in the second half at Bayer Leverkusen as we take a 1-1 draw back to north London in the Champions League round of 16.
The winger entered the fray for the final half-hour of the first leg in Germany, winning a crucial late penalty which was dispatched by Kai Havertz.
Madueke has reflected on the feeling of the dressing room immediately after the final whistle, and the first thoughts as we reach the midpoint of the tie.
“The mood in the dressing room isn’t amazing, but it’s not terrible,” he explained.
“I think it’s all to play for in London, in our stadium where we’re so, so good. Yeah, so, all to play for, and everyone’s fine.”
It’s not the first time Noni has shown his mettle away from home in European competition, and his introduction helped change the encounter after we fell behind early in the second half.
It was his burst into the Leverkusen penalty area from the right-hand side which drew the foul, and following a VAR check, the penalty decision stood.
“I always think I can make an impact, whether I start the game or I’m on the bench,” the winger said.
“I feel like my skillset is unique, so yeah, I just try to play my game and thank God to play for this Arsenal team.
“My instinct told me to go into the box when I picked up the ball, so I just went. When you see VAR, you just think ‘oh my days’. But yeah, obviously I knew it was a penalty.”
Noni finally praised the impact of fellow substitute Havertz, who tucked away from 12 yards on his return to the BayArena.
He also expressed his excitement ahead of the return leg in six days’ time, before which we host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
“Kai’s a class player. Obviously everybody knows his qualities, everybody knows the strength in depth we have in this team, so whether you start or finish, there’s always room for you to make an impact.
“I can’t wait (for the second leg), I know the atmosphere’s going to be amazing.
“We’re going to need them and we’re confident we’ll get the job done.”
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Report: Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Arsenal
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