The visitors, who had not won at Camp Nou since 2006, secured a crucial first-leg advantage thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, one in each half. Despite Barcelona dominating large portions of the match, a key moment just before half-time shifted the balance.
Pau Cubarsi brought down Giuliano Simeone as he raced through on goal, initially receiving a yellow card from referee Istvan Kovacs. However, after a VAR review, the decision was upgraded to a red card, leaving Barcelona with 10 men. Alvarez capitalized on the opportunity, curling the resulting free-kick into the net.
To their credit, Barcelona responded strongly after the dismissal and controlled much of the second half. Marcus Rashford came closest to equalizing, striking the crossbar from a free-kick. However, Atletico doubled their lead when Alexander Sorloth finished off a low cross from Matteo Ruggeri.
The result leaves Barcelona with a difficult task ahead as they head to Madrid for the second leg next Tuesday.
Barcelona will feel frustrated after failing to convert their chances. Coming into the match in strong form—with eight wins and one draw in their previous nine games—they created numerous opportunities, registering 24 attempts on goal. Rashford was particularly dangerous, forcing saves and having one goal ruled out due to an offside call against Lamine Yamal.
While Yamal had a quiet game, the decisive moments came just before half-time with Cubarsi’s red card and Alvarez’s goal. Atletico then adopted a more cautious approach, limiting risks and making the most of their chances, scoring twice from just three shots on target.
Having previously knocked Barcelona out in past Champions League encounters, Atletico now hold the upper hand. Although Barcelona can take confidence from their recent win in Madrid, they will need a top-level performance to overturn the deficit.
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