Atletico Madrid took a giant step towards qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in a thrilling clash at the Metropolitano, meaning both La Liga clubs were victorious after Barcelona's stunning comeback win over Benfica.
Diego Simeone made two changes to the side that lost to Leganes last weekend, with Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente returning to the line-up. Atleti were tasked with bouncing back from their first non-win in 15 games, although their goal got off to a poor start when Pablo Barrios was sent off for a big challenge on Leverkusen defender Nordi Mukiele.
Atleti had their backs against the wall at that point and their attempts to see out the match until half-time did not go well. In stoppage time before the break, Leverkusen took the lead when Mukiele's cross to the back post was headed home by fellow full-back Piero Hincapie.
Despite the men's disadvantage, Atleti came out of the second half well and after 53 minutes they forced the equalizer thanks to Julian Alvarez. The Argentine forward did well to collect Antoine Griezmann's through ball, finishing with great success when he got the chance against Leverkusen goalkeeper Matej Kovar.
Atleti had played exactly 50 minutes with one player less when Leverkusen were also reduced to 10 men after goalscorer Hincapie saw a second yellow for a foul on Giuliano Simeone. From that moment on the proceedings were more even, although it was the home team who scored the decisive goal.
In the 90th minute, Angel Correa played an excellent ball into compatriot Alvarez, and he crossed the ball home for his and Atleti's second goal of the night, sparking wild scenes at the Metropolitano.
In the end, Atletico Madrid saw out the match, and with that result they now sit third in the league standings, even though they have played one more match than any team around them. Either way, they know that a win over RB Salzburg next week would mean automatic progress to the last 16 of the Champions League.
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