Holders, Liverpool, tasted a rare Champions League defeat in the opening leg of their last 16 encounter with Atletico Madrid, after an early strike from Saul was enough to split the two sides in Spain.
A lack of an away goal may be costly for Liverpool, but who could forget their impressive Anfield comeback against Barcelona last season? The second leg may be Liverpool’s irresistable force against Atletico’s immovable objects; an Atletico away goal could prove to be the key to progressing.
An early Saúl Ñíguez strike gives Atletico Madrid the advantage against Champions League holders Liverpool in their last 16 first leg encounter at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
BT Sport
In This Story: UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a group and knockout format. It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.
Spanish clubs have the highest number of victories (18 wins), followed by England (13 wins) and Italy (12 wins). England has the largest number of winning teams, with five clubs having won the title. The competition has been won by 22 clubs, 12 of which have won it more than once and eight successfully defended their title. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament’s history, having won it 13 times, including its first five seasons. Bayern Munich are the reigning champions, having beaten Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the 2020 final.