A second straight Champions League semifinal is in sight for Arsenal.
Kai Havertz scored in stoppage time on Tuesday to seal a 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon at Estadio Jose Alvalade to put Mikel Arteta's team in control of the quarterfinal tie.
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Arsenal's William Saliba, left, challenges Sporting's Luis Suarez during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Sporting's goalkeeper Rui Silva makes a save during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta gestures during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Arsenal's Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Arsenal's Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
The substitute fired past goalkeeper Rui Silva from close range to give Arsenal the advantage ahead of next week’s second leg at the Emirates.
In Tuesday’s other quarterfinal, Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu.
Havertz settled a tight game in Portugal by combining with fellow substitute Gabriel Martinelli in the first minute of added time. With one touch the German controlled Martinelli's defense-splitting pass in the box and then converted with a side-footed finish.
“To score a late goal is always nice,” Havertz told Amazon Prime. “We will take that result. There is still a lot of work to do next week.”
Victory saw Arsenal bounce back from successive defeats which cut its quadruple trophy hunt in half in recent weeks. Losses in the League Cup final and FA Cup quarterfinals had shaken the Premier League leader going into Tuesday’s match.
And it had to withstand an early charge from Sporting in front of a raucous crowd, with player-of-the-match David Raya producing an outstanding save to tip Maximiliano Araujo’s sixth-minute shot onto the bar.
“It could have changed the tie,” Arteta said.
Arsenal also hit the bar in the first half direct from Noni Madueke’s corner, but both teams struggled to create openings.
Martin Zubimendi thought he’d found the breakthrough in the second half with a curling effort from range only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Late on, Raya produced a string of saves. First he pushed away a goal-bound header from Geny Catamo and then pulled off a double stop to deny Catamo again and Luis Suarez.
“For me, the last two seasons, he’s the best keeper in the world. He has saved us so many times,” Havertz said.
But it was Havertz who delivered the goal that pushed Arsenal a step closer to another semifinal, having lost to eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain at that stage last year.
The forward scored the winner for Chelsea in the Champions League final in 2021 and this was another decisive moment for him in this competition.
“He loves the big occasion and the big games,” Arteta said. “And that’s what we need — the big players to turn up when we need them.”
Defeat was Sporting's first at home since August. The Portuguese team has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
"A small lapse in concentration cost us dearly, and it’s frustrating because it happened in the 90th minute, but we have to lift our heads and move on,” coach Rui Borges told Sport TV.
The scenes of celebration for Arsenal's players were in stark contrast to the dejection that followed the League Cup final loss to Manchester City and the shock of being beaten by second-division Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday.
“We had to reveal ourselves today and I talked about identity and other things that we are as a team and that I definitely saw,” Arteta said. “It’s halftime. We are a step closer, now we need to finish the tie at home in front of our people, and if we do that, we’re going to start to dream.”
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Arsenal's William Saliba, left, challenges Sporting's Luis Suarez during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Sporting's goalkeeper Rui Silva makes a save during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta gestures during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Arsenal's Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Arsenal's Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Champions League quarterfinals, first leg, soccer match between Sporting CP and Arsenal, in Lisbon, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
MADRID (AP) — Harry Kane delivered for Bayern Munich on his return from injury, scoring a goal and helping set up another in his team's 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappé scored Madrid's goal after the visitors had taken a two-goal lead at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer came up big for Bayern with several key saves to keep the German champions with the first-leg edge.
Kane had been listed as a gameday decision after missing the team’s Bundesliga match last weekend because of an ankle injury.
“We knew that coming to Madrid and trying to get a result is always difficult," Kane told TNT Sports. "We played some really good stuff and we could have done even better — maybe the final ball, the final finish, we had some good chances. But credit to Madrid as well.”
The result left Bayern with an edge ahead of the second leg in Germany next week as it tries to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2023-24, when it was eliminated by eventual champion Madrid.
“We are still alive, clearly,” Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said. “We are one goal away. We have shown that we can win anywhere. We showed it with the scoring chances that we had against an opponent that we knew was going to make it difficult for us.”
Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon in the other quarterfinal on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Barcelona will host Spanish rival Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool will visit defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Madrid and Bayern are playing their sixth knockout-stage meeting in 14 seasons, with the Spanish powerhouse having won four of their five two-leg matchups since the 2011-12 season.
Kane participated in the build up of Bayern’s first goal in the 41st minute, exchanging passes with Serge Gnabry who ultimately fed a through ball for Luis Díaz inside the area. The Colombia forward calmly sent a low shot past Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Kane scored himself in the 46th with a nice one-timer from the top of the area, firmly finding the corner with a low strike. It was his 11th Champions League goal, equaling his best scoring season in the European tournament. He finished with 11 goals in 2024-25.
Kane has scored 22 Champions League goals since the start of the 2024-25 season, the most of anybody.
Mbappé scored his 20th Champions League goal since the start of the 2024-25 season in the 74th, finding the net from close range after a pinpoint low cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Mbappé leads the scoring this season with 14 goals, which is double the forward’s total last season. He is three goals shy of the most goals in a single Champions League campaign achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo with Madrid in 2013-14.
Vinícius Júnior had one of Madrid’s best chances in a one-on-one situation with Neuer in the 61st, but the Brazil forward couldn’t get past the Bayern goalkeeper and his attempt hit the outside of the net. A few minutes later, Neuer — who had nine saves in total and was named the man of the match — dived to his right to make a nice stop on a shot by Mbappé.
Neuer had already made two tough saves to keep Madrid from finding the net in the first half on other attempts by Mbappé and Vinícius.
“I had the feeling that he was in very good shape and we needed him — not only for his experience, but his quality,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of the 40-year-old Neuer. “He reacted in very difficult stages of this game. With his work rate in training, I’m not surprised.”
Madrid defender Álvaro Carreras made a goal-line clearance on a shot by Dayot Upamecano in the first-half.
It was a bad touch by Carreras near midfield that led to Bayern's second goal.
“We went out for the second half and they immediately scored," Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger said. “I’d say we gifted Bayern both their goals here. We need to do better.”
Bayern lost to Inter Milan in the quarterfinals last season. Record 15-time European champion Madrid was eliminated by Arsenal in the last eight last year.
Bayern is unbeaten in its last 14 games in all competitions, with 12 wins. Madrid was coming off a 2-1 loss at Mallorca on Saturday that hurt its La Liga title hopes.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bayern's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer makes a save before Real Madrid's Raul Asencio can score during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Bayern's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer heads the ball to save before Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, left, can score during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Real Madrid's Alvaro Carreras, right, and Bayern's Luis Diaz challenge for the ball during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior reacts during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe scores his side's opening goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Bayern's Harry Kane tries to score during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts during a La Liga soccer match between Mallorca and Real Madrid in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior in action in front of Mallorca's Pablo Maffeo during a La Liga soccer match between Mallorca and Real Madrid in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
