Bayern Munich thrashed Atalanta to be in touching distance of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. In the first leg of their Round of 16 game on Tuesday, Bayern scored a 6-1 victory to be in the driver’s seat.
Atletico de Madrid too are finely placed to reach the quarterfinals at they defeated English club Tottenham 5-2.
The other ties are in the balance as Galatasaray edged out Liverpool before Lamine Yamal converted a last-gasp penalty to earn Barcelona a draw at Newcastle to take into next Wednesday’s second legs.
Atletico down Tottenham 5-2
Atlético de Madrid claimed a commanding advantage following a dazzling 22-minute burst in the Spanish capital that produced four goals and left the visitors stunned.
Marcos Llorente, Julián Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann capitalised on defensive errors, while Robin Le Normand scored after Guglielmo Vicario, on as an early replacement, parried following a corner.
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Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke replied for Spurs either side of Alvarez’s second from a lightning counter, but the English side have a mountain to climb.
Atletico’s Julian Alvarez was named Player of the Match.
Bayern Munich thrash Atalanta 6-1
Bayern’s incessant pressure paid off handsomely as the German champions took firm control of their tie with Atalanta. Josip Stanišić’s tap-in set the visitors on their way before a quickfire double from Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise made it 3-0 inside 25 minutes. There was no let-up, though.
Nicolas Jackson added a fine counterattacking goal after the restart before Olise bent in his second with a similar effort to his first. Substitute Jamal Musiala struck a sixth midway through the second half but it was Atalanta’s Mario Pašalić who had the final word, pulling one back in added time.
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“It’s almost impossible to do much better. Ideally, we would’ve kept a clean sheet, but it’s a top result and a top performance. We were simply there from the very beginning. We knew what to expect and we handled the game superbly. Going forward and defensively, we did almost everything outstanding today. I think that’s why the result is so clear,” said Bayern midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic.
Michael Olise of Bayern was named Player of the Match.
Galatasaray stun Liverpool with a 1-0 win
Galatasaray head to Anfield next Wednesday with a narrow advantage after Mario Lemina’s seventh-minute header ultimately decided a fast-paced encounter in Istanbul.
Lemina converted after Victor Osimhen redirected Gabriel Sara’s corner into his path, the only goal of a frenetic first half that could have featured several more, Florian Wirtz and Davinson Sánchez among those to threaten.
It was more of the same in the second period, Liverpool coming closest when Alexis Mac Allister shot just wide before Hugo Ekitiké was brilliantly denied by Uğurcan Çakır.
Mario Lemina of Galatasaray earned the Player of the Match award.
Yamal saves the day for Barcelona against Newcastle
Lamine Yamal’s added-time penalty with the last kick of the contest denied Newcastle another famous win in this fixture, the Barcelona winger holding his nerve to send Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way after Malick Thiaw had fouled Dani Olmo.
The Magpies, beaten 2-1 at St James’ Park by Barça on Matchday 1, were on course for a narrow first-leg victory after Harvey Barnes’ first-time effort following Jacob Murphy’s pinpoint cross with four minutes to go.
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The hosts always appeared the likelier of the two sides to open the scoring, a Barnes curler smacking the inside of the upright in the second half before the England international got the late breakthrough. Yamal had the last word, though.
“We maybe weren’t that good up front, but we had phases of the game where we played well and had possession. Sometimes you have to play these games by sitting back or playing as a block in midfield to get the result,” Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi told Movistar.
Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes was named the Player of the Match.
Pic credit: FC Bayern
