Atleti on Tuesday earned a fantastic 1-0 win against Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano. An early goal from Saúl secured a first leg victory in the Champions League last 16.
The atmosphere at the Wanda Metropolitano was simply stunning from the off, and it inspired our team to the perfect start. Saúl, just four minutes in, put us in front following a corner taken by Koke. Liverpool reacted well, putting us under pressure by bringing a lot of men forward. But our defence was solid as we looked to hurt our opponents on the break. We managed to do so by connecting with Morata, who had a massive chance that was only denied by a world-class save from Alisson. The game remained very tactical an intense until half-time.
Lemar was forced to leave the pitch during the break due to pain, and he was replaced by Llorente. The first big chance of the second half was for Salah, who headed wide a cross from the right flank. Morata was very close to scoring later from inside the box, but he was unable to properly connect with the ball. The Spaniard was taken off and replaced by Vitolo shortly thereafter. It was then when Liverpool had their best chance of the game as Henderson was inches close to equalising. Diego Costa made his return from injury some 15 minutes before the end of the clash, coming on for Correa. If the whole game had been extremely intense, the final stretch was on another level. Both sides had chances to score, but Atleti held on to the lead to earn a fantastic first leg win.
Source: Club Atlético de Madrid