Barcelona will have to come from behind in the Champions League quarter-finals as they were defeated 2-0 by Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.
In a seismic showdown between two of Spain’s biggest sides, it was the visitors who emerged victorious against their ten-man opponents, who had Pau Cubarsi sent off on the stroke of half time for a foul on Giuliano Simeone.
The Atleti winger was adjudged by VAR to have been clean through on goal, with Cubarsi thought to have denied him a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Julian Alvarez, the former Manchester City striker, bent home the resulting free kick sumptuously to open the scoring, and Alexander Sorloth stepped off the bench to double the lead with a neat finish from Matteo Ruggeri’s cross in the second period.
Barca had chances themselves, with Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford lively, as he hit the crossbar with a dipping free kick.
Lamine Yamal’s efforts went in vain as the young Spanish starlet was targeted by a resolute Atleti defence, as Diego Simeone produced yet another tactical masterclass in Europe’s premier competition.
