Goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth earned Atletico Madrid a 2-0 victory over Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. The Catalan side had been dominating at Camp Nou before 19-year-old defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off for a foul from behind on Atletico forward Giuliano Simeone.

Alvarez curled home the free kick to open the scoring, and Sorloth doubled the advantage with 20 minutes remaining. Atletico strengthened their chances of reaching the semifinals. The club previously reached the finals in 2014 and 2016 but lost to Real Madrid on both occasions.

Barcelona, last season's semifinalists, must stage a major comeback next Tuesday in Madrid. Atletico had already knocked Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey semifinals in March. This was the second of three meetings between the sides within two weeks.

In the match, Barcelona's teenage star Lamine Yamal displayed superb skill against three defenders, but his shot was blocked. Atletico midfielder Koke was fortunate to receive only a yellow card for fouls on Dani Olmo, Pedri, and Yamal, sparking fury among Barcelona supporters.

Post-match, Atletico player Lookman praised the team's togetherness. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick claimed his team was unlucky, particularly with the red card. PSG also secured a 2-0 home win over Liverpool, boosting their semifinal prospects.

Source: www.aljazeera.com