Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Highlights: Diaz nets winner in Champions League RO16 match
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Highlights: Diaz nets winner in Champions League RO16 match
With that, we come to an end in this Champions League blog between city rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Thanks for tuning into this space and we will be back with another blog very soon.
Till then, take very good care of yourselves. Ciao!
Brahim Diaz’s strike proves to be the difference as Real Madrid ends the first leg in front, with a lone goal advantage in the round of 16 game of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25.
Mbappe darts into the box and tries to cross to Vinicius but is blocked. He then recovers the ball and tries setting Modric up. But the development ends to nothing as Olblak saves the Croat’s attempt on goal.
Lucas Vazquez tries to go for a shot from outside the box but Gallagher pushes him as his shot goes out of play for a goal kick.
Real Madrid decides to inject more firepower in the dying moments of regulation time as Endrick takes the field for Brahim Diaz, who looks exhausted but proud of the leading goal.
Correa and Diaz get into a duel for the ball and the former wins the battle while the goalscorer goes to ground. Seconds later, both are back on their feet.
Gallagher gets the ball in the midfield and tries to build an attack. As he delays the release of the ball, he is greeted with whistles by the majority of home fans, who are trying their best to break down the morale of the trailing visitors.
Real Madrid makes a late change as Lucas Vazquez coming on for Fede Valverde. On the sidelines, Marcelo makes an appearance, watching the club he spent the majority of his professional career in, not so long ago.
Le Norman tries to trap Real with a penalty call as he strikes the ball, aiming Rodrygo’s hand but the Brazilian’s hand was too close to his body, removing any chance of a spot-kick.
Tchouameni switches play with am aerial pass from the left to right as Valverde receives it, passing it to Modric to conjure an attack, as he has done over the years for the La Liga giant.
Simeone now shuffles his pack with two more changes, this time replacing two midfielders with two forwards.
In: Angel Correa, Alexander Sorloth, Out: Rodrigo De Paul, Pablo Barrios
Atletico Madrid has now moved to an extremely defensive shape at the back, with six men guarding the final third. Simeone might be thinking that a one-goal difference might not be too high a mountain to climb in the return leg.
Atletico has kept Mbappe and Vinicius, two of Madrid’s primary forwards silent in the match so far. Simeone now makes a defensive substitution, replacing Griezmann with Le Normand.
Mbappe and Diaz combine along the left flank, with the latter receiving the key pass. But Gimenez does his defensive duties to keep his scoring chances at bay.
Vinicius Junior keeps asking questions around the opposition box and wins his team a corner. Modric takes it and passes it to Diaz, whose cross is overshot as the ball goes out of play for a goal-kick.
Mendy goes for a surprise attack, making a solo run past two Atletico players and shooting on target. But Oblak has no worries stopping that, with the ball have no pace in it.
In: Nahuel Molina, Conor Gallagher, Out: Giuiliano Simeone, Samuel Lino
In: Luka Modric, Out: Eduardo Camavinga
Griezmann makes a run into the box, past Camavinga and Rudiger and tries to nick it in from a narrow angle. But Courtois was alert enough to make a timely save, keeping the slender lead intact.
Atletico looks to have been forced into action for attack after the early goal in the second half as Barrios marches into the final third but fails to find a space through for an attack.
Brahim Diaz gets the ball along the left flank, shifts left and right and then side-steps before taking a shot on target. And Real Madrid has the lead it had initially and Diaz’s celebration gives him a yellow card but it doesn’t matter for the home fans. They have the moment they had been waiting for – a goal in front yet again.
De Paul gets the ball in the box and his shot is blocked out for a corner by Mendy. The resulting corner is cleared out of danger by Tchouameni.
Real Madrid has been the more attacking side so far tonight, with six attempts, of which four have been on target. Atletico, on the other hand, has had three chances, with one on target, one that was struck fiercely into the net by Alvarez.
Real Madrid gets a corner, which initially cleared, is delivered back into the box. Just before it could fall in front of Camavinga, Llorente clears it out of danger.
Real Madrid and Atletico have had their last five clashes end in draws at the end of 90 minutes, with two of them being decided through extra-time. With the contest locked at 1-1, it remains to be seen whether this match will also end with shared points.
Mbappe gets the ball in front of the box and he tries a long ranger. However, there is no force at all in the shot and Oblak holds the ball with ease.
Atletico Madrid gets the ball rolling after the break as either side looks for bragging rights in the Madrid derby in this round of 16 clash.
The first half remains level but has seen two absolutely brilliant goals, first by Rodrygo and the then by Julian Alvarez as the score remains 1-1 as the referee the half-time whistle.
Griezmann has moved from the position of a striker to an architect in the midfield as he stitches passes together to build an attack for the visitors as the travelling fans, 4000 of then, cheer on for their beloved club.
The score remains well balanced at 1-1, a scoreline that has stuck to this fixture in their last three clashes. Their last clash had also had Alvarez opening the scoring for his side, in February 2025.
Julian Alvarez gets the ball along the left flank and lets fly a right-footed curler from the edge of the box, which beats Courtois to kiss the net and restore parity in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid’s free-kick by Rodrygo is pushed away by Oblak. The shot was targeted for Rudiger, who could not get to the ball in time.
Simeone beats his marker and then crosses from the right for Leno. But Valverde gets to the ball at the right time to clear it out. But the cleared ball falls for Barrios, whose shot has the ball flying over the net.
We have had almost half an hour of action and Rodrygo’s wonder strike remains the highlight. The shot, Atletico’s manager Simeone’s reaction and then the celebration, highlighting his emotion with Champions League, all was cinema.
Simeone gets the ball and goes for a solo run, past the midfield into the final third but his through ball is blocked by Madrid’s defence. Vinicius goes for a counterattack on the other end and his shot is then saved by Oblak.
Rodrygo latches on the looses ball and as he tries to make a run on the counter, he is sandwiched between two Atletico players but the referee does not give a foul.
Real Madrid starts building from the back again, from Asencio to Valverde to Mbappe in the end, who then passes it to Diaz. Diaz passes to Valverde, whose cross from the right is headed out by Atletico.
Atletico tries to take the long ball approach but Barrios’ attempt to deliver the aerial pass to overshot as the ball goes out for a goal-kick.
Real Madrid is taunting the Atletico defence, with straight passes in the opposition half, waiting for a mistake to strike on the counter.
Meanwhile, Vinicius gets the ball into the box along the left flank and tries a shot, which is blocked by Atletico, which had men in numbers to stop the Brazilian.
The opening goal was Rodrygo’s fifth goal in the Champions League this season. He has netted as many in each of the last four seasons – an underrated gem for Real through and through.
Real Madrid are making frequent forays into the final third but De Paul tries to keep the ball out of his penalty box. He succeeds temporarily and then Real gets a throw-in.
Real Madrid somehow clear the ball after the corner is sent in, with Brahim Diaz carrying the ball into the midfield. However, he loses the ball eventually.
Atletico tries to go for an attack but Antonio Rudiger makes an important clearance to keep the visitors at bay, intercepting the cross before it could reach Julian Alvarez.
Real Madrid appeal for a penalty as Rodrygo goes to the ground but the referee asks the Brazilian to get up and does not give a spot kick.
Rodrygo gets he ball along the right flank and shifts to his left and just as he has the right amount of space, he shoots and rattles the net with a clinical strike.
Real Madrid is ahead and it took just over three minutes for the hosts to take the lead.
Real Madrid has started with a attacking 4-3-3 formation while Atletico has gone for a 4-4-2 shape, hoping to pull off an upset in Real’s own den.
Real Madrid kicks off the match, looking to sting early as it conspires an attack. Atletico eventually wins the ball.
The Champions League anthem beams through the speakers as the players of both sides walk out of the tunnel. The Madrid derby is moments away. Real starts in its home kit of all-white while Atletico has also chosen its conventional kit of red-and-white.
The final warm-ups before kick off are done as the players run back to their dressing rooms while fans make their way into an already-packed stadium. The kick-off is just minutes away now!
Real Madrid’s galaxy of attacking stars initially struggled to gel this season, but coach Carlo Ancelotti kept faith and now the “fantastic four” are Los Blancos’ greatest strength as it faces rival Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
It hosts Diego Simeone’s Atletico side on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu in the last 16 first leg, with the return at the Metropolitano stadium across town on March 12.
French superstar Kylian Mbappe joined last season’s trident of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes and both the former Paris Saint-Germain striker and Madrid’s squad needed time to adapt to the change.
Published on Mar 04, 2025
