Champions League, Manchester United hold Atletico Madrid: Records broken
Manchester United held Atletico Madrid 1-1 in the Champions League round of 16 first leg tie at the Wanda Metropolitano. Joao Felix handed the hosts a crucial 1-0 lead and dominated the first half. United were slightly better in the second half and equalized through Anthony Elanga in the 80th minute. Atletico struck the post twice but couldn't emerge victorious. Here's more.
Diego Simeone's side delivered a perfect game in terms of control the game without dominating possession. Felix's early header from Renan Lodi's cross gave the hosts a dream start. Ralf Rangnick got his team selection wrong as Victor Lindelof looked uncomfortable at right-back. After making notable changes in the second half, United improved and Elanga scored from Bruno Fernandes' perfectly-weighted pass.
As per Opta, United's Bruno Fernandes is the first player in Champions League history to assist in six consecutive appearances while playing for an English club, breaking the record held by David Beckham (for United) since 1998.
Elanga's goal was United's 500th in the European Cup/Champions League, a tally bettered by only Real Madrid (1,001), Bayern Munich (760), and Barcelona (624). Atletico have now failed to win any of their last six UCL games at the Wanda Metropolitano. Their results read: 0-0 vs Lokomotiv Moscow, 1-1 vs Bayern, 0-0 vs Porto, 2-3 vs Liverpool, 0-1 vs. AC Milan 1-1 vs United.
United failed to make a single touch in the opposition box in the first half of a Champions League game for the first time since at least 2005-06. Elanga's goal was the first shot on goal for United. Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to score, assist or record a win in his four games against Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano across competitions (D3 L1).
🇸🇪 Anthony Elanga becomes the youngest Swedish goalscorer in the Champions League (19 years, 302 days) ⚽️#UCL pic.twitter.com/0KAYPq0QqA
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 23, 2022
