BARCELONA – Atletico Madrid scored twice after Barcelona was reduced to 10 men to earn a valuable 2-0 road win and take the advantage in their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
A superb free kick by Julián Álvarez and a second goal by Alexander Sorloth gave Diego Simeone his first win at Camp Nou since Atletico's long-standing coach started his stint with the club 15 years ago.
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“I don’t think my Atleti had ever won at Camp Nou," said Simeone, whose Atletico had won at Barcelona when it played at the Olympic Stadium in 2024 but never at Camp Nou.
"They’re arguably the best team in Europe, along with Paris (PSG) and Bayern (Munich). Through good teamwork, we were able to capitalize on key moments in the match."
Barcelona had hemmed Atletico into its box when the hosts received a double blow that left Hansi Flick’s team down a man and behind a goal just before halftime.
The game-changing sequence started when Atletico’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 Atletico 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 its 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 quarterfinal first leg.
On Tuesday, Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Real Madrid, while Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon.
Simeone again frustrates Barcelona in Europe
Barcelona has won five European Cups and Atletico has lost three finals, and the Catalan club has a better overall head-to-head record over Simeone's team. Yet when it comes to the Champions League, Atletico has 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 soccer 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 he couldn't conjure up that shooting angle or perfect pass.
Atletico remained disciplined in defense, happy even when up a man to let Barcelona maintain possession and made the utmost of its chances.
Barcelona generated 19 shots to Atletico’s five, which included just one in the second half — when Sorloth rumbled past his marker to double the lead.
A clean sheet and two goals in the bag.
And one step toward its first semifinal since 2017.
“We are heading home happy for the win, but we still have a long way to go. There are 90 minutes ahead,” Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann said.
Atletico 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 defense 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 Atletico 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 had the character and talent to comeback.”
Barcelona midfielder Pedri González was replaced at halftime, Flick said, for precaution without specifying his complaint.
Amazing Álvarez
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 Atletico player in a single Champions League season.
Wednesday’s game at Camp Nou was the second of three meetings between Barcelona and Atletico in an 11-day span. Barcelona won 2-1 away in the Spanish league to strengthen its league lead on Saturday. In February, Atletico also edged Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals.
A moment of silence was held before kickoff in memory of Romania soccer great Mircea Lucescu, who died this week at age 80.
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