Atletico Madrid Fight Back to Beat Leverkusen 2-1 with 10 Men

Atletico Madrid staged a remarkable comeback to beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in the Champions League, despite playing with 10 men for 65 minutes. Julian Alvarez, formerly of Manchester City, scored twice, including a dramatic 90th-minute winner, lifting Atletico to third in the group. The match took an early turn when Atletico’s Pablo Barrios received a red card in the 25th minute for a sliding challenge that caught Nordi Mukiele’s leg.

After reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Davide Massa showed Barrios the red card. Leverkusen capitalized on the advantage with Piero Hincapie heading in a Mukiele cross in injury time to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at halftime. Despite the setback, Atletico responded strongly in the second half. Alvarez equalized in the 53rd minute, finishing a counterattack by holding off two Leverkusen defenders and slotting past goalkeeper Matej Kovar.

Atletico then felt Florian Wirtz should have received a second yellow card for a foul on Alvarez while on a yellow card but the referee took no action. Leverkusen’s composure continued to falter as Hincapie received a second yellow card for a foul on Giuliano Simeone, reducing the visitors to 10 men. With both teams a player short, Atletico seized the opportunity. Alvarez rounded Kovar to score his second goal of the night and secure a dramatic victory for the hosts.

The win moves Atletico Madrid into third place in the group while Leverkusen stays in sixth. Both teams remain in contention to finish in the top eight which would earn them a direct spot in the Champions League last 16 and avoid the play-offs.