Madrid [Spain], April 30 (ANI): Argentina striker Julian Alvarez outclassed legend Lionel Messi to become the fastest player from his country to reach 25 UEFA Champions League goals.

Alvarez played a crucial role in keeping Atletico's bid for a fourth UCL alive with a fine penalty conversion in the 56th minute, with the clash in Madrid against Arsenal ending in a 1-1 stalemate.

Now, Alvarez has scored 25 goals in 41 UCL matches, leapfrogging Messi, who scored his 25th goal in his 42nd match, followed by Sergio Aguero, who achieved this milestone in 48 matches.

The top three goal-scorers in UCL are Cristiano Ronaldo (141 goals), Messi (129 goals) and Robert Lewandowski (109 goals).

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Now, the second leg between these two sides on May 6 in London will decide who will make it to the final against either Bayern Munich or the defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, with PSG coming out on top 5-4 in a thrilling first leg.

A string of half-chances were witnessed in the tightly contested first half before a penalty was converted into a goal by Viktor Gyokeres in the 44th minute, bringing some life into the contest just before halftime, as per UCL's official website.

Piero Hincapie, Martin Odegaard, and Noni Madueke had made scoring attempts for the Gunners, and Julian Alvarez also stung the palms of David Raya courtesy of some magical footwork in the 14th minute, but it was Viktor who drew the first blood with a powerful kick after being brought down by David Hancko.

But 12 minutes after the break, the scores were level. Alvarez, Ademola Lookman, and Antoine Griezmann looked absolutely threatening, but it was a penalty conversion from Argentinian star Alvarez after a handball from Ben White that brought back some hope into the hosts' camp.

Diego Simeone-managed side saw some fantastic football played in the second half, but the opportunities did not get converted into goals on the scoresheet, with Griezmann striking the crossbar and Lookman giving Raya some serious headache. The scoreline stayed unchanged, taking the decider to London. (ANI)