By Rasheed Adewuyi, New York
England international Bukayo Saka praised Arsenal F.C. for their resilience after securing a hard-fought 1–1 draw against Bayer 04 Leverkusen*m in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash at the BayArena in Germany on Tuesday night.
The winger, speaking to reporters after the match, said the Gunners showed strong character to come away from the difficult away fixture with a positive result ahead of the return leg in London.
“It was a tough game,” Saka said after the final whistle. “Coming here is never easy because they’re a very good team and their fans create a strong atmosphere.”
Arsenal found chances difficult to create for long spells of the match, with Leverkusen’s defensive organisation limiting space in the final third.
“They defended well and made it difficult for us to find space,” Saka explained. “We had to be patient and keep working.”
The 22-year-old admitted the match became even more challenging after Arsenal fell behind, forcing the Premier League side to react quickly to stay in the contest.
“When you go a goal down away from home it’s always difficult,” he said. “But we stayed calm and believed we could get back into the game.”
Saka also highlighted the physical and tactical challenge posed by the German side, noting their discipline and threat from set pieces.
“They’re very organised and dangerous on set pieces,” he added. “But I think we handled a lot of situations well and showed character to keep fighting.”
Despite the demanding encounter, the Arsenal star insisted the tie remains wide open and believes the Gunners can secure qualification when the teams meet again at Emirates Stadium.
“We’ll use this result as motivation,” Saka said. “Now we go back home and try to finish the job.”
The second leg of the Round of 16 fixture will be played in London, where Arsenal will look to capitalize on home advantage in their bid to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.