Real Madrid edged the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against capital rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Tuesday night.
It didn't take long for this eagerly anticipated tie to burst into life as Rodrygo broke the deadlock inside four minutes with an emphatic left-footed effort after bursting in behind Javi Galan.
The Brazilian was the star of the show in the opening stages with the hosts starting the far better of the two teams. However, Atletico did start to find somewhat of a groove after 20 minutes, and they forced Federico Valverde into a superb back-post clearance from a dangerous Giuliano Simeone cross.
The visitors then restored parity on the night thanks to a wonderful strike from the in-form Julian Alvarez, who channelled his inner Harry Kane from the March 2016 north London derby - only he didn't have a mask to whip off in celebration.
The pendulum swung back in Madrid's favour at the start of the second half as Brahim Diaz placed an excellent finish past Jan Oblak after some tidy work in the Atleti box. The visitors then struggled to muster much of a response as the hosts entered cruise control after Luka Modric's arrival. Courtois was forced into no late action, and Madrid will have a 2-1 lead to protect next Wednesday. They may well have extended their lead had Kylian Mbappe produced a better cross for Vinicius Junior in stoppage time.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 6.3/10 |
RB: Federico Valverde | 8.2/10 |
CB: Antonio Rudiger | 7.1/10 |
CB: Raul Asencio | 7.0/10 |
LB: Ferland Mendy | 7.9/10 |
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni | 8.1/10 |
CM: Eduardo Camavinga | 6.7/10 |
RW: Rodrygo | 8.0/10 |
AM: Brahim Diaz | 8.5/10 |
LW: Vinicius Junior | 7.2/10 |
ST: Kylian Mbappe | 7.0/10 |
SUB: Luka Modric (62' for Camavinga) | 7.2/10 |
SUB: Lucas Vazquez (83' for Valverde) | N/A |
SUB: Endrick (89' for Brahim) | N/A |
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Fran Gonzalez (GK), Fran Garcia, David Alaba, Arda Guler.
Atletico Madrid player ratings (4-4-2)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Jan Oblak | 6.2/10 |
RB: Marcos Llorente | 6.4/10 |
CB: Jose Gimenez | 6.0/10 |
CB: Clement Lenglet | 6.3/10 |
LB: Javi Galan | 7.7/10 |
RM: Giuliano Simeone | 6.5/10 |
CM: Rodrigo de Paul | 6.7/10 |
CM: Pablo Barrios | 6.6/10 |
LM: Samuel Lino | 6.2/10 |
ST: Antoine Griezmann | 7.5/10 |
ST: Julian Alvarez | 7.4/10 |
SUB: Conor Gallagher (64' for Lino) | 6.1/10 |
SUB: Nahuel Molina (64' for Simeone) | 5.9/10 |
SUB: Robin Le Normand (71' for Griezmann) | 6.1/10 |
SUB: Angel Correa (75' for De Paul) | 6.010 |
SUB: Alexander Sorloth (75' for Barrios) | 5.9/10 |
Subs not used: Juan Musso (GK), Antonio Gomis (GK), Axel Witsel, Reinildo, Rodrigo Riquelme, Thomas Lemar.
Player of the match - Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid)
READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE
feed
