Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid: Brahim Diaz's strike earns Los Blancos slender lead in Champions League last-16 tie
Real Madrid secured a 2-1 win over city rivals Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday, with Brahim Diaz netting a second-half winner after Julian Alvarez had canceled out Rodrygo’s early opener. The fiercely contested Madrid derby at the Santiago Bernabeu saw moments of brilliance, but both teams appeared to be conserving energy for next week’s decisive second leg at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Real struck first, with Rodrygo scoring just four minutes in after a superb pass from Federico Valverde. The Brazilian surged past two defenders before curling a left-footed effort into the far corner. However, Atletico gradually settled and found an equalizer in the 32nd minute when Alvarez shrugged off Eduardo Camavinga near the byline, cut inside, and fired a stunning shot past Thibaut Courtois, the ball ricocheting in off the far post.
Despite the visitors enjoying spells of dominance and frustrating the Bernabeu crowd with their composed passing, Real regained the lead in the 55th minute through Diaz. The Moroccan international danced through three defenders inside the box, leaving Jose Maria Gimenez on the ground before slotting a precise shot past Jan Oblak.
"I think we always had the balance throughout the game, despite going a bit down after their equaliser, but at any moment we can find a goal with the talent we have and that's what we did," Diaz told Movistar Plus. "Everything is still open in the tie. It's good that we won at home, but it's far from over. This is the Champions League and every little thing you do makes a difference."
Atletico had opportunities to turn the game around, with Rodrigo De Paul squandering a golden chance to put them ahead early in the second half. However, Diego Simeone opted for a cautious approach after falling behind, replacing Antoine Griezmann with center-back Robin Le Normand and switching to a defensive setup to prevent further damage.
"They scored the goals at the right moments," Alvarez said. "At times, we were in control of the game and could have seized the opportunities to hurt them… We knew it wasn't going to be easy… We were at their stadium… But there are still 90 minutes left and it will be on our ground."
With everything still to play for in next week’s second leg, Atletico will look to overturn the deficit at home, while Real Madrid aim to secure their place in the quarter-finals, where the winners are likely to face Arsenal, who dominated PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in their first-leg clash.
SportsLigue