Champions League: Atletico Madrid stun Barcelona 2-0 at Camp Nou
What's the story
Atletico Madrid have taken a giant leap toward the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 semi-finals with a stunning 2-0 win over Barcelona at Camp Nou. The first-leg of their quarter-final tie saw Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth score in either half, securing Atletico's first victory at the iconic stadium since 2006. The match turned on its head just before half-time when Pau Cubarsi was sent off for a foul on Giuliano Simeone. Here's more.
Goal details
Summary of the 1st-leg tie
After Cubarsi's dismissal, Alvarez scored a brilliant free-kick that left Barcelona goalkeeper Garcia with no chance. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Barcelona dominated the second half but couldn't find an equalizer. Marcus Rashford came closest to leveling the score when his free-kick hit the crossbar. However, Atletico doubled their lead through Sorloth who finished off Matteo Ruggeri's low cross.
Stats
Match stats: How did the 2 sides fare?
Barcelona clocked 18 attempts against Atletico. They had 7 shots on target. The visitors managed 5 shots on target from 8 attempts. Barca dominated Atletico in terms of touches in the oppositon box (42-9). Hansi Flick's men had 58.20% ball possession and completed 536 passes. The Madrid side had 41.80% ball possession and completed 367 passes.
Records
Contrasting records for the two teams
As per Opta, Barca have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 13 Champions League matches. It's worst streak in a major European competition. As per Squawka, Atletico have beaten Barcelona at Camp Nou for the first time since 2006, ending a 25-game winless run on this ground. Meanwhile, it's also the first time they have won a UEFA Champions League away match against a fellow Spanish opponent.
Alvarez
Alvarez makes these records
Alvarez scored his ninth Champions League goal of the season. As per Opta, it's the outright most by an Atletico player in a single campaign, bettering Diego Costa's eight in 2013-14. As per Squawka, Alvarez became the first player to score a freekick against Barcelona in the Champions League since Angel Di Maria for PSG in February 2017.
Do you know?
Alvarez races to 18 goals for Atletico this season
In 45 matches for Atletico this season across all competitions, Alvarez owns 18 goals. Overall, he has scored 47 goals for the club in 102 matches across two seasons.