Ratings: Barcelona top 10-man Atlético in UCL quarterfinal appetizer

A very dramatic evening in Madrid, and the first of three clashes in 11 days between Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona, saw the away side escape with a 2-1 victory to extend their lead in LALIGA after Real Madrid’s loss to Mallorca earlier in the day. The loss sees Atlético stay on 57 points, which has them one point behind Villareal in third. Villarreal play Girona on Monday.

Final. pic. twitter.

com/M1rRk4vFHE — Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) April 4, 2026 It’s an unfair result for Atlético. The chances were there for Los Rojiblancos , and had Simeone’s side not been a man down for 45 minutes, they could have seen a bit more. The match was not without controversy, following a straight red for Nico Gonzalez after a challenge on Lamine Yamal and then an overturned red card where Gerard Martín stepped on Thiago Almada’s ankle.

The drama extended past the red cards, seeing both managers getting yellow cards and Koke picking up a yellow 0f his own following a squabble that began with a rough Dani Olmo challenge on Giuliano Simeone. After going down to 10, all hope seemed lost, but Atlético de Madrid defended their hearts out in the second half. Even though Robert Lewandowski shouldered in the winner on 86 minutes, this result should give the club some confidence heading into the Champions League tie.