.png)
2 hours ago
2
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
70 mins: Joan Garcia produces a truly dreadful pass which comes straight back to the Barcelona box. Griezmann slips the ball to Llorente who flashes a shot across goal.
Ruggieri is on the deck in pain with a nasty cut on his forehead after being caught by Gavi.
68 mins: Atletico get into a good position but the pullback from Alvarez finds no one.
Simeone is doing his best to rile the crowd. Atletico need them, that’s for sure.
Lewandowski and Rashford are on for Torres and Lopez.
66 mins: Yamal wriggles through a few Atletico defenders and taps a pass to Olmo but he is off-balance and lifts a shot offer from close range.
Atletico send on Alex Baena and Nico Gonzalez, Simeone and Lookman off.
64 mins: Atletico are happy to absorb pressure and wait for a chance to counter. They also look extremely content to foul Barcelona to break up play. I think the referee may need to become more stern here.
62 mins: Martin decides to clip a cross into the box from deep, which is not very Barcelona of him.
Barca get a corner soon after thanks to Olmo having his shot deflected wide. It is taken short, allowing Yamal to dribble into the box but he takes the ball straight out of play.
Tim Smith writes: “Whenever I read or hear of a Terry Butcher reference, I think of an interview with Diego Maradona (RIP great man). In the interview, Diego is asked to recount/apologize for the hand of god goal. In heavily accented English, he asks, “Who is Terry Butcher. Who is this Butcher?” I honestly think he does not remember him, and with the pure disdain in his voice, it still makes me laugh.”
60 mins: Yamal dribbles for what feels like an eternity, chased by four in red and white, eventually bundling him over on the right touchline. It feels like the winger has another key moment in him.
58 mins: Barcelona can take the positives that Ferran Torres put the ball in the back of the net after a period of sustained pressure. This tie is a long way from done.
NO GOAL! Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona, agg 3-2
Ferran Torres is ruled to be offside and the goal will not stand.
GOAL! Atletico Madrid 1-3 Barcelona, agg 3-3 (Ferran Torres, 55)
THE TIE IS LEVEL!
53 mins: Yamal beats a couple of defenders and then goes down in the box. He wants a penalty but there is no chance of that, even VAR can’t be bothered.
Alvarez then leads a counter attack and reaches the edge of the box before turning back to tee up Lookman, who bends his shot just wide.
51 mins: Lopez has outdone Terry Butcher here; not only does he have a bandage around the head but also a massive plaster to cover a cut on his face.
49 mins: Cancelo loses the ball and fouls Koke to relieve his frustration.
The referee stops play after Eric Garcia crashes to the turf and needs a few seconds to get his breath back.
47 mins: Barcelona have dominated the ball in the early stages of the second half but without giving the impression of breaking through.
Second half
Hold onto your hats.
Half-time reading.
Half time: Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona agg 3-2
What a ludicrous half of football. It was relentless from the off and we will all be thankful for 15 minutes to catch out breath. I am sure it will be more of the same after the break.
45+2 mins: Lopez allows a pass to go behind because it takes a nick off a Atletico player. The referee does not spot it and is perplexed why Barcelona are so angry at the award of a goal kick.
45 mins: Four minutes added.
43 mins: Yamal produces some smart work on the right and pings a cross into a dangerous area but there is no one there to score and Atletico clear.
41 mins: Le Norman flies into a challenge with Olmo. All is fair in love an war.
Lopez fires a pass to Olmo into the box, he takes a touch and wants to shoo but goes down under pressure. He wants a penalty but the referee is unmoved. VAR eventually clears it.
Ferran Torres then has a chance but Musso comes out quickly to block.
39 mins: Pedri’s pass is intercepted, although the Barca man is fouled, allowing Atletico to break. It reaches Griezmann on the edge of the box and he takes aim but his shot is blocked.
37 mins: There is a good bit of scrapping on the edge of the Barca box as Atletico try to break through but the visitors just about get the better of the hosts.
35 mins: This is starting to feel like a game of the season contender, boosted by a cracking atmosphere in the Spanish capital.
Justin Kavanagh emails: “This game is bonkers … I need a lie-down and it’s not even half-time. Más of this, por favor!”
Just be pleased you’re not having to do the MBM. Relentless.
33 mins: This is a very open game of football. The latest bit of fun sees Yamal try to dribble through four defenders and he almost succeeds. This is silly soccer.
GOAL! Llorente breaks down the right and he slides a cross into the path of Lookman who does the rest from eight yards.
GOAL! Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona, agg 3-2 (Lookman, 31)
The boy from Wandsworth sends the crowd wild.
30 mins: Yamal restarts play with the corner and fires it to the front post and Musso is forced into action after the ball deflects off Griezmann towards his own goal.
29 mins: Atletico will be pleased with the delay in proceedings because they were on the ropes before the injury to Lopez. They are having a lot of conversations, while Yamal is sat on the ball next to the corner flag. Lopez is up and jogging.
27 mins: Lopez is still having treatment and Rashford is warming up.
25 mins! LORDY! It should be 3-0 to Barca. A cross is sent into the box by the outside of Yamal’s boot for the unmarked Lopez to attack. It is a fine save by the goalkeeper who inadvertently kicks the Barcelona man in the face, causing a lot of bleeding.
GOAL! A neat pass to Torres on the edge of the box allows him to spin the defender and fire a shot across Musso into the top corner.
GOAL! Atletico Madrid 0-2 Barcelona agg 2-2 (Ferran Torres, 24)
THE TIE IS LEVEL! Torres into the top corner.
22 mins: Lookman gets down the left and fizzes a cross to Griezmann but the ball goes wide, via Martin. A goal kick is given.
20 mins: Slow buildup does not look like the way to break down Atletico. If Barca are to find a second, catching them on the break look more productive.
18 mins: Atletico have stuck 11 behind the ball and Barcelona are being forced to go side to side in order to find a gap but it is an impossible task on this occasion.
16 mins: A few moments of calm as Atletico enjoy a spell of possession, eager to take the sting out of the match.
14 mins: Considering how awful the Premier League is to watch in general, La Liga might be able to bump up the price of the rights if all the games are as exciting as this. It is end to end stuff and ferocious at the same time.
12 mins: Atletico have a corner on the right … it is swung to the back post where Ferran Torres gets confused and heads it back into the danger area. The ball goes behind for a goal-kick, much to the Catalans’ relieve.
10 mins: Yamal almost turns provide with an incredible first-time pass to send Olmo through. Musso comes out but the Barca man gets to the ball first, only to see his toe poke blocked.
8 mins: Hay partido! This could be a spicy evening in the Spanish capital.
Molina drives forward and spots a pass to Griezmann which would send him through on goal but Gavi reads the danger and intercepts.
Lookman gets a chance in the box but snatches at the shot and slices it wide.
GOAL! Lenglet does not look when playing a backpass, it bounces off Yamal to Ferran Torres who slips it through for the teenager, who keeps his cool when one-on-one.
GOAL! Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona, agg 2-1 (Yamal, 4)
A mistake at the back lets in Yamal who slots beyond Musso.
4 mins: It is a lively game. The noise inside the ground is adding to the occasion.
Both teams look up the for the battle. A few fierce challenges and last-ditch blocs have already been seen.
2 mins: Yamal is taken down by Ruggieri, offering an indication of the sort of defending the teenager will face.
1 min: Yamal forces Musso into a fine save after 35 seconds. The winger shows some tricky feet before taking aim for the corner but the goalkeeper gets down well.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
I always feel sorry for the young mascots on Champions League nights. They are living the dream but having to dress like a credit card.
The teams are primed in the ‘tunnel’ which is more spacious than my house.
Barcelona know a thing or two about comebacks in the Champions League.
Joleon Lescott and Joe Cole want Barcelona to go through because they have Englishman Marcus Rashford. I should point out that Atletico’s Ademola Lookman was born in Wandsworth.
It looks quite lively on the streets of Madrid. Pyro galore to welcome the team to the stadium.
Marcus Rashford is on the bench tonight. Could he make the difference later on?
Alternatively, you can join Rob Smyth for Liverpool v PSG, if you’re a bit more mainstream.
Starting lineups
Atletico (4-4-2): Musso; Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Llorente; Lookman; Griezmann; Alvarez
Subs: Oblak, Esquivel, Mnedoza, Cardoso, Sorloth, Alex Baena, Almada, Vargas, Gonzalez, Dani Martinez, Bonar, Julio Diaz
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Kounde, Eric Garcia, Martin, Cancelo; Pedri, Gavi; Yamal, Olmo, Fermin Lopez; Ferran Torres
Subs: Szczesny, Kochen, Balde, Araujo, Lewndowski, Rashford, Casado, De Jong, Bardghji, Cortes, Xavi Espert, Marques
Pre-match reading.
Preamble
Losing 2-0 at home in the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie is never a particularly good idea but this is the situation Barcelona find themselves in. The Catalans, however, will not feel defeated despite having to travel to the capital to face the miserly Diego Simeone and his charges. A mere 10 days ago Barcelona came out on top in the Wanda Metropolitano, although a repeat of the 2-1 scoreline will not be enough.
We must assume that Barcelona will not die wondering tonight and it should be an intense game. If Hansi Flick’s side manage to get one early, then it could become a classic of the genre, and that is what the neutral will be hoping for.
Kick-off: 8pm BST.
