Atletico win 2-0 at 10-man Barcelona - PSG blank Liverpool 2-0 in first leg of Champions League quarterfinal

BARCELONA, Spain:

Atletico Madrid scored twice after Barcelona were reduced to 10 men to earn a valuable 2-0 road win and take the advantage in their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.

A superb free kick by Julian Alvarez and a second goal by Alexander Sorloth gave Diego Simeone his first win at Camp Nou since Atletico's long-standing coach started his stint with the club 15 years ago.

"I don't think my Atleti had ever won at Camp Nou," said Simeone, whose Atletico had won at Barcelona when they played at the Olympic Stadium in 2024, but never at Camp Nou.

"They're arguably the best team in Europe, along with Paris (PSG) and Bayern (Munich). Through good teamwork, we were able to capitalise on key moments in the match."

Barcelona had hemmed Atletico into their box when the hosts received a double blow that left Hansi Flick's team down a man and behind a goal just before halftime.

The game-changing sequence started when Atletico's Giuliano Simeone broke free to latch onto a rare long ball and Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi knocked him down on the edge of the area with only goalkeeper Joan Garcia to beat. After initially showing Cubarsi a yellow card, the referee changed it to a red following a video review.

GOT WORSE

It got worse for Barcelona seconds later when Alvarez curled the resulting free kick around the defensive barrier and past a flying Garcia for the 45th-minute lead.

Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford tried to rally Barcelona at Camp Nou and kept the pressure on Atletico despite being undermanned.

"We gave it our all, but it wasn't to be," Barcelona substitute defender Ronald Araujo said. "But this team can turn this around. I am convinced of it. It will be tough at their home, but this team had the character and talent to comeback."

A moment of silence was held before kickoff in memory of Romania soccer great Mircea Lucescu, who died this week at age 80.

SOLO GOAL

Also on Wednesday, Ousmane Dembele had an off night but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added another solo goal to his collection as Paris Saint-Germain beat Liverpool 2-0 in the first leg of their quarterfinal.

The Georgia star cut in from the left flank midway through the second half and, with typically quick feet, skipped past a defender and the goalkeeper before stroking in his team-leading eighth goal of the competition.

"We had chances to score more," Kvaratskhelia said. "But I think it's OK, 2-0 is good but we have to stay concentrated."

Desire Doue put the defending champions ahead in the 11th minute with a deflected effort. The Ballon d'Or winner Dembele then spurned three chances at Parc des Princes.

Accepting his team was outplayed, Slot explained his decision to be so cautious.

"They have pace from everywhere all over the pitch, no matter where you look," he said. "They have so many weapons (and) the times when we tried to play high and aggressive they ripped us apart."

On Tuesday, Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Real Madrid, while Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon.

-AP