A superb goal from Brahim Diaz helped Real Madrid maintain its dominance of the Madrid derby on Europe’s biggest stage with a 2-1 victory over bitter rival Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday.
Atletico has been beaten by the record 15-time European champion in both Champions League final matchups and has won only three of 11 meetings with their city rivals in UEFA competitions.
Also Tuesday, Arsenal made a massive step toward a quarterfinal spot with a 7-1 win at PSV Eindhoven. It was the biggest victory in an away match in the knockout stage of the Champions League, UEFA said.
“It’s a massive result away from home in a competition that we love, that we miss for so many years,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “Today is a really special night for us.”
On a good night for Premier League teams, Aston Villa won 3-1 at Club Brugge, and Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 with Lille.
A tense encounter in the Spanish capital was decided by a moment of individual brilliance. Diaz scored the winner for Real Madrid after squeezing past a couple of Atletico players and curling a low strike into the far corner in the 55th minute.
Diego Simeone’s team could not change the script after losing its finals to Madrid in 2014 and 2016. It was also eliminated the other two times they faced off in the knockout rounds — in the 2015 quarterfinals and 2017 semifinals.
Playing at home at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Real Madrid took the lead on its first chance through a great goal from Rodrygo. After being picked up down the flank, he cut inside the box, was too fast for defenders and beautifully curled the ball into the back of the net.
“It stemmed from a nice ball from Fede Valverde,” Rodrygo said. “He absolutely read my movement and put the ball in behind the man covering me. I made a little dribble inside and then smashed it off my left.”
Atletico patiently waited for an opportunity. It came in the 32nd minute and Julian Alvarez seized it with a spectacular strike. The forward collected the ball down the left, cut inside the box and curled the ball past Thibaut Courtois for his seventh goal in the tournament this season.
“I leave with the feeling that we competed well,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. “We could have done more in terms of the goals we conceded. We must continue with this rhythm for the second leg, which will be tough and difficult, and in which we will have the support of our fans.”
Gunners romp to emphatic win
Arsenal, which returned to the Champions League after a six-year absence last season, got off a shaky start and Jurrien Timber scored against the run of the play with a header at the far post, just after PSV hit the woodwork.
The London team never looked back after that and led 3-0 at the half-hour mark.
Seventeen-year-old Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead in the 21st after his teammates combined well in the area to set him up. Mikel Merino then made the most of the confusion in the box to make it 3-0 after PSV repeatedly failed to clear the ball.
A silly foul from Thomas Partey on Luuk de Jong in the box gave PSV some hope before halftime and Noa Lang converted.
But PSV crumbled once back from the locker room. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard scored twice, with Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori adding more luster to the win.
Dortmund held
Last season’s runner-up Borussia Dortmund is evenly matched with Lille ahead of the second leg after Hakon Arnar Haraldsson’s goal salvaged a 1-1 draw for the French team.
Dortmund led thanks to Karim Adeyemi’s low shot from outside the box in the 22nd minute, but Canada forward Jonathan David sliced open the Dortmund defense with a through ball in the 68th for Haraldsson to level the score.
Aston Villa wins away
Aston Villa shook off its poor away form, and it was largely due to an own goal from a rival player.
A turning point came in the 82nd minute when Club Brugge defender Brandon Mechele beat his own goalkeeper with the teams tied 1-1. Mechele slid to stop a cross from Morgan Rogers, only to deflect into the back of the net.
Before that, the Belgian side had looked solid, enjoyed most of the possession and created the best chances in the second half.
Looking demoralized, the hosts then conceded a late penalty that was converted by substitute Marco Asensio.
Villa had suffered two away defeats in the group phase of the tournament, including one at Club Brugge. In the Premier League, the team has lost seven of 13 away matches.
The visitors needed less than three minutes to take the lead when Leon Bailey swept the ball home. Club Brugge leveled two minutes later after a long ball in the back of Villa’s defenders found Christos Tzolis. He came into the area and delivered an excellent cut back pass for the unmarked Maxim De Cuyper, who beat Emiliano Martinez with his left foot, into the far corner.
On Wednesday, it will be Paris Saint-Germain hosting Liverpool, Inter Milan visiting Feyenoord, Benfica taking on Barcelona, and Bayern Munich welcoming fellow German club Bayer Leverkusen.
Reporting by The Associated Press
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