Atlético win 2-0 at 10-man Barcelona, Liverpool lose

BARCELONA, Spain (AP):

Atlético Madrid scored twice after Barcelona were reduced to 10 men to earn a valuable 2-0 road win and take the advantage in their Champions League quarter-final yesterday.

A superb free kick by Julián Álvarez and a second goal by Alexander Sorloth gave Diego Simeone his first win at Camp Nou since Atlético’s long-standing coach started his stint with the club 15 years ago.

“I don’t think my Atléti had ever won at Camp Nou,” said Simeone, whose Atlético had won at Barcelona when they played at the Olympic Stadium in 2024 but never at Camp Nou.

“They’re arguably the best team in Europe, along with Paris [Saint-Germain] and Bayern [Munich]. Through good teamwork, we were able to capitalise on key moments in the match.”

Barcelona had hemmed Atlético into their box when the hosts received a double blow that left Hansi Flick’s team down a man and behind a goal just before half-time.

The game-changing sequence started when Atlético’s Giuliano Simeone broke free to latch onto a rare long ball and Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí knocked him down on the edge of the area with only goalkeeper Joan García to beat. After initially showing Cubarsí a yellow card, the referee changed it to a red following a video review.

It got worse for Barcelona seconds later when Álvarez curled the resulting free kick around the defensive barrier and past a flying García for the 45th-minute lead.

Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford tried to rally Barcelona at Camp Nou and kept the pressure on Atlético despite being undermanned.

But that fightback effort was undone when substitute Sorloth shrugged off a challenge by Gerard Martín as he moved to the near post and tapped in a cross from Matteo Ruggeri to double the lead with 20 minutes to play.

Barcelona’s hopes of ending an 11-year wait to add to their five European Cups now rests on mounting a big win in Madrid on Tuesday.

Also on Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain beat Liverpool 2-0 in their quarter-final first leg.

On Tuesday, Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Real Madrid, while Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon.

Barcelona has won five European Cups and Atlético have lost three finals, and the Catalan club have a better overall head-to-head record over Simeone’s team. Yet when it comes to the Champions League, Atlético have found the edge. Simeone’s bunch got the better of a star-studded Barcelona led by, Lionel Messi, at the same stage in the competition in 2014 and 2016.

And another masterclass in Simeone’s bend-but-don’t-break football has stumped a Barcelona led by a Yamal who drew oohs and aahs from Barcelona’s fans with his fancy dribbling, but was visibly frustrated as he couldn’t conjure up that shooting angle or perfect pass.

Atlético remained disciplined in defence, happy even when up a man to let Barcelona maintain possession and made the utmost of their chances.

Barcelona generated 19 shots to Atlético’s five, which included just one in the second half — when Sorloth rumbled past his marker to double the lead.

And one step toward its first semi-final since 2017.

“We are heading home happy for the win, but we still have a long way to go. There are 90 minutes ahead,” Atlético forward Antoine Griezmann said.

Atlético lost central defender David Hancko — the team’s most used player this season — to what looked like a leg injury on the half-hour mark. He was replaced by Marc Pubill and the defence didn’t notice the difference.

Rashford couldn’t make the most of his start in place of the injured Raphinha, despite generating the most dangerous opportunities of either side with the score still 0-0. The on-loan Manchester United forward had three shots inside the area that were saved by goalkeeper Juan Musso, before Atlético went ahead, and a free kick in the second half that grazed the bar.

“We gave it our all, but it wasn’t to be,” Barcelona substitute defender Ronald Araujo said. “But this team can turn this around. I am convinced of it. It will be tough at their home, but this team has the character and talent to comeback.”

Barcelona midfielder Pedri González was replaced at half-time, Flick said, for precaution without specifying his complaint.

Álvarez’s goal was his 15th in his last 18 matches in Europe’s elite club competition.

It was also the Argentina striker’s ninth goal in the competition this campaign, making him the highest-scoring Atlético player in a single Champions League season.

Wednesday’s game at Camp Nou was the second of three meetings between Barcelona and Atlético in an 11-day span. Barcelona won 2-1 away in the Spanish league to strengthen their league lead on Saturday. In February, Atlético also edged Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

A moment of silence was held before kick-off in memory of Romania football great Mircea Lucescu, who died this week at age 80.

Quarter-final First-Leg Results

PSG 2-0 Liverpool

Barca 0-2 Atlético

Madrid 1-2 Bayern

Sporting 0-2 Arsenal