Madrid, April 9 (IANS) Goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth gave Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win away to Barcelona on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.

The result puts Atletico in firm control of the tie and marks a sharp reversal from Barcelona’s 2-1 win in La Liga between the sides just days earlier, with Diego Simeone’s team surviving early pressure before capitalizing on a numerical advantage throughout the second half, reports Xinhua.

Barcelona started brightly at Camp Nou, with goalkeeper Juan Musso twice denying Marcus Rashford in an open, high-tempo opening. At the other end, Joan Garcia produced a save to keep out Alvarez.

Barcelona thought they had taken the lead when Lamine Yamal set up Rashford to score, but the effort was ruled out for offside against Yamal.

Atletico rode their luck as Rashford continued to threaten and Koke avoided a second yellow card after a foul on Yamal, while Barcelona began to dominate possession.

The turning point came in the 42nd minute when Pau Cubarsi brought down Giuliano Simeone as he chased a long clearance. The referee initially showed a yellow card but upgraded it to red following a VAR review.

Alvarez made Barcelona pay, curling the resulting free kick past Garcia to give Atletico the lead just before halftime.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick responded by replacing Robert Lewandowski and Pedri with Gavi and Fermin Lopez at the break, and his side started the second half on the front foot despite being a man down.

Rashford forced Musso into another save with a free kick that struck the crossbar, while Dani Olmo came close from a corner as Barcelona pressed for an equalizer.

Atletico doubled its lead in the 70th minute when Sorloth finished with his left foot after Matteo Ruggeri delivered a cross from the left.

Simeone’s side then managed the closing stages comfortably as Barcelona faded, leaving Atletico well placed to reach the semifinals.

–IANS

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