Actual Madrid hosted the primary leg of the UEFA Champions League Spherical of 16 towards Atletico Madrid, securing a slender 2-1 victory heading into subsequent week’s decisive match. Regardless of the outcome, Julian Alvarez shined as soon as once more, reaching a outstanding feat beforehand held solely by Lionel Messi within the competitors.
Alvarez is having fun with a stellar debut season at Atletico Madrid, who made a major funding to signal him from Manchester Metropolis. Within the thirty second minute, the Argentine striker unleashed a thunderous strike to equalize the sport, replicating a uncommon achievement that solely Messi had completed earlier than.
Together with his aim, Alvarez and Messi are actually the one Argentine gamers to have scored towards Actual Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu within the knockout levels of the Champions League. Whereas the Atletico star achieved this in 2025, the Barcelona legend was the primary to take action in 2011.
Messi’s historic second got here on April 27, 2011, when Barcelona confronted Actual Madrid within the Champions League semifinals. That night time, the Argentine legend scored a memorable brace, together with a surprising solo aim, main Barca to a 2-0 victory on the Bernabeu.
Regardless of Atletico falling brief in comparison with Barcelona’s 2011 victory, the one-goal deficit retains Diego Simeone’s facet in rivalry. The second leg will happen on Wednesday, March 12, on the Metropolitano, the place Alvarez and firm will look to provide a outcome to recollect.
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A purpose for Atletico followers to consider
Though Actual Madrid holds the benefit, historical past affords Atletico Madrid followers a purpose for optimism. The one time Los Blancos gained 2-1 at residence within the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie, they ended up being eradicated within the return leg.
This occurred within the 2002-03 season, when Juventus pulled off an epic 3-1 comeback within the second leg, securing a 4-3 mixture victory to knock Actual Madrid out and advance to the ultimate. This explicit antecedent provides hope to an Atletico Madrid that’ll need to search for at the very least a aim at residence.
