Once again heroic and stunning, Atlético Madrid, although reduced to ten in the 25th minute, defeated Bayer Leverkusen (2-1) on Tuesday during the seventh day of the Champions League and took a big step towards qualification direct to the round of 16.
First largely dominated on its Metropolitano pitch, Atlético offered itself a new last-minute heist, carried by a double from its Argentine striker Julian Alvarez in the second period (52nd, 90th).
The ex-Manchester City striker, recruited this summer for 75 million euros, was the hero of a very bad evening for the Colchoneros, first by equalizing against the run of play, then by blowing up the Madrid enclosure a few seconds before the end of regulation time, at the end of the effort.
Atletico Madrid fans celebrate their team’s Champions League victory on Tuesday against Leverkusen at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid. / JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
Victorious in the last minutes of the game for the 14th time of the season in all competitions, as against PSG (2-1 in the 94th minute), Atlético (3rd, 15 points) carried out the very good operation of the evening provisionally taking third place.
Leverkusen (6th, 13 points), which sees its great series of 12 successes in a row come to a cruel end, remains very well placed to be part of the Top-8, the two teams already being assured of competing in the final phase, minimum in play-offs.
Alvarez spills everything
The expected stylistic opposition between Diego Simeone’s Atlético, still as combative and once again pragmatic in the game, and Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, a real goal machine, gave birth to a bitter duel, which for a long time resembled a fairly caricatured attack-defense, before balancing out in the second half.
Weighed down by the early expulsion of the young Spanish midfielder Pablo Barrios for a violent tackle on the calf of French defender Nordi Mukiele (25th), Diego Simeone’s men, dominated in all sectors of the game and cornered in their part of ground in the first half, were able, as often, to suffer to come back better.
Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak concedes the first goal of the game, scored by Leverkusen striker Piero Hincapie (invisible in the photo), Tuesday evening in the Champions League. / OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP
-Confident of their technical qualities and their game of possession, the German players attacked with meticulousness, until breaking through the rojiblanca wall, preserved until now by an immense Jan Oblak, author of two decisive saves (20th, 22nd), just before halftime.
After a save from Uruguayan central defender José Gimenez in front of the untenable Florian Wirtz, Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie opened the scoring with a header by heading in a cross from Frenchman Nordi Mukiele (45th+1, 1-0).
With the match in hand, and perhaps too much in the management of the result, the German champions were surprised upon returning from the locker room by a much sharper Colchoneros, even reduced to ten.
Launched deep by a ball from Antoine Griezmann that the German colossus Jonathan Tah tried to intercept, the Argentinian Julian Alvarez resisted the return of Grimaldo to adjust the Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar from the left (53rd, 1-1) and wake up the Metropolitano and its audience, which only needed a small spark to ignite.
At a tense end to the match, Leverkusen, which had several players already warned, ended up breaking down and Hincapie, first scorer of the match, was sent off for a foul on Giuliano Simeone on the edge of the area (77th), leaving his teammates play the fifteen minutes ten against ten.
The stainless Julian Alvarez, again there, well placed in the zone of truth, broke away and showed enormous composure to score a double and offer victory to his team in the 90th minute, signing his sixth goal in seven days of C1.
Before receiving a well-deserved ovation for all of his work.
