Leverkusen's Andrich questions late Arsenal penalty

Robert Andrich was left disappointed with the late penalty awarded to Arsenal as Bayer Leverkusen were pegged back in a 1-1 Champions League draw.

Andrich headed Leverkusen in front early in the second half on Wednesday, only for Malik Tillman to concede a late spot-kick for a foul on Noni Madueke, with Kai Havertz converting against his former club.

Havertz’s penalty, timed at 88 minutes and 33 seconds, was Arsenal’s latest penalty goal in a major European game since March 2010, but Andrich believes it should have been overturned.

"That's really, really not enough [to be a penalty]," said Andrich to DAZN, despite the VAR not overturning Umut Meler's decision.

Leverkusen avoided defeat in the first leg of a Champions League last-16 match for just the second time (W1 D1 L5), but they have never gone on to progress from the previous six occasions in this round.

They will head to the Emirates Stadium next week with the tie in the balance, and Andrich believes his side can upset Mikel Arteta's team.

"I'm leaving this match with mixed feelings," he told UEFA's official website. "On the one hand, we played well. On the other hand, we should have won.

"Now they'll be under less pressure in the second leg. Of course, I would have liked things to have turned out differently. But we still believe we can spring a surprise."

Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand echoed Andrich's frustrations.

"I have mixed emotions, as we played well and didn't concede many chances," he told UEFA. "We were active and played well with the ball.

"It was a top performance against a top team. Of course, it's very frustrating that we only drew 1-1.

"We're now travelling to London with high hopes. Arsenal are under a lot of pressure. We're looking forward to this game and want to cause an upset."