Ten-man Barcelona punished by Atletico in UCL home defeat

Barcelona suffered a damaging 2-0 home defeat to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final, leaving their campaign on the brink.

Barcelona started off well at the Spotify Camp Nou, creating the early chances but failed to convert any.

Marcus Rashford was central to their attacks, but poor finishing and solid goalkeeping from Juan Musso kept the visitors level.

The turning point came just before half-time when Pau Cubarsí was sent off following a VAR review for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The decision shifted control in Atlético’s favour.

From the resulting free-kick, Julián Álvarez produced a precise finish to give the visitors the lead, silencing the home crowd.

Atletico take control

Despite going down to 10 men, Barcelona attempted to dominate possession in the second half. Manager Hansi Flick introduced changes in a bid to spark a response, but his side lacked the cutting edge in the final third.

Atlético capitalised on their numerical advantage, doubling their tally in the 70th minute when Alexander Sørloth volleyed home from a well-delivered cross by Matteo Ruggeri.

The result puts Atlético in a good position ahead of the return leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano next week.

Barcelona now face a steep challenge to overturn the deficit and avoid another early European exit.