Atletico Madrid took a significant step toward reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with an impressive victory over 10-man Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
The visitors, who had not won at the stadium since 2006, struck in each half through Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth to secure a crucial first-leg advantage in their quarter-final tie.
Barcelona were the better side for much of the contest, but the game turned just before half-time following a foul on Giuliano Simeone by Pau Cubarsi. The defender was initially shown a yellow card by referee Istvan Kovacs after bringing down Simeone as he raced through on goal. However, after a VAR review, the decision was upgraded to a red card.
Alvarez capitalised on the moment, curling the resulting free-kick superbly beyond the goalkeeper to give Atletico the lead.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Barcelona responded strongly after the break and dominated much of the second half. Marcus Rashford came closest to equalising, striking the crossbar from a well-taken free-kick.
However, Atletico dealt a decisive blow late on, with Alexander Sorloth calmly finishing from Matteo Ruggeri’s low cross to double the advantage.
The result leaves Barcelona with a daunting task ahead as they travel to Madrid for the second leg next Tuesday.
