Kai Havertz scored a controversial late penalty at Arsenal after returning to Bayer Leverkusen, but the forward made a statement after finding the back of the net.
Kai Havertz scores Arsenal’s second-half penalty (Image: Getty Images)
Kai Havertz has admitted he is sorry to Bayer Leverkusen’s rivals after scoring a penalty in the final minute against his former team. With one minute left in regular time, the German took a spot-kick.
It happened after substitute Noni Madueke went down without making much contact. Havertz, who made 150 appearances for Leverkusen before joining Chelsea, did not offer any congratulations.
When asked about his goals, he said he felt sorry for his former employer. In an interview with DAZN, he said: “Last-minute penalties are not always easy, but this is a moment I’ve been working hard to get to for years.”
“So of course I’m happy. I’m happy to step up and I’m happy to score. Of course I feel sorry for the Leverkusen players, but that’s football and I was happy.”
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This goal was decisive for Arsenal, who fought back from a 1-0 deficit thanks to Robert Andrich’s opening goal. Bayer Leverkusen’s captain lashed out at the decision to award Arsenal a spot-kick.
He said, “It’s already just a little thing. Of course he (Madueke) shouldn’t be depressed like that. I know situations like that too. If you get depressed and you probably have that feeling of, ‘Oh, fuck, I’m already depressed.’ But it is already very small.
He added: “My feeling is there was a small contact, but he still fell a little late. Even if we saw two more times, it would be even less. That’s certainly not enough.”
Kai Havertz equalizes for Arsenal against Bayer Leverkusen (Image: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Leverkusen coach Kasper Urmand was far from happy with the decision. He said: “We didn’t hear from him and he passed away.
“This is not a penalty. If the referee does not blow the whistle and VAR checks, there is no penalty.”
Arsenal welcome Leverkusen to the Emirates Stadium next week as they aim to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. If they find a way past the German team, they will face Bodo/Glimt or Sporting Lisbon, the former of whom won the first leg 3-0.
Asked about Havertz, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “Yes, he was very calm and yes, football is an interesting game and brings special stories and for him to come back here after so long and be part of this club and come here and score such an important goal, I think it’s a big moment.”
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