UCL roundup: Diaz secures lead for Real against Atletico, Gunners score seven
UCL roundup: Diaz secures an advantage for Real against Atletico, while the Gunners score seven goals.
TroibNews 
Real Madrid secured a narrow 2-1 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 on Tuesday.
Rodrygo Goes initially put the hosts ahead, but Julian Alvarez equalized for Atletico. The decisive goal came from Brahim Diaz, who capped off a strong performance to delight the Santiago Bernabeu crowd.
"I think we played a complete game today, my goal was good and it earned us the win, but it's not over," Diaz told Movistar. "There's still the second leg and we have to give everything, like we did today."
Diego Simeone's Atletico, who faced setbacks in the 2014 and 2016 finals against Real Madrid, managed to keep Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe at bay but ultimately fell short. The Rojiblancos played conservatively toward the end of the match, seemingly resigned to trailing by one goal ahead of next week’s return leg.
In another matchup, Arsenal’s promising young talents Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri played a vital role in their team's dominant 7-1 first leg triumph over a struggling PSV Eindhoven.
The Premier League side showcased a significant class difference against the Dutch champions, who endured their worst defeat ever in European competition. "No chance. Outplayed. Bad," PSV coach Peter Bosz remarked, reflecting on his team's performance.
It was a disheartening night for the 1988 European Cup winners, as frustrated fans left the stadium well before the final whistle. "You can lose. Just not like that," said club captain and talisman De Jong. "Everyone is annoyed about this. The fans, the players, believe me. We're not happy about this," he added.
In contrast, Arsenal enjoyed the advantage of a solid lead, with the winner of the Real Madrid-Atletico tie awaiting them as their next challenge.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa secured a commanding 3-1 win away at Club Brugge in their first leg of the last 16. Leon Bailey opened the scoring for Villa at the Jan Breydelstadion, but Maxim De Cuyper soon equalized.
Club Brugge held their own against their Premier League adversaries, yet Brandon Mechele's own goal in the 82nd minute restored Villa's lead. Substitute Asensio then converted an 88th-minute penalty, marking his fifth goal in four matches, and wrapping up a victory that puts the 1982 European Cup winners in a strong position.
In Germany, Borussia Dortmund played to a 1-1 draw with Lille in their first leg after Hakon Haraldsson equalized in the second half.
Dortmund appeared dominant after Karim Adeyemi scored in the 22nd minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. However, Lille striker Jonathan David exploited a lapse in Dortmund's defense in the 68th minute, assisting Haraldsson, who found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and finished effectively.
Dortmund will need to secure a win in northern France next week if they hope to advance in Europe and salvage a season that has been far from satisfying thus far.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
Rodrygo Goes initially put the hosts ahead, but Julian Alvarez equalized for Atletico. The decisive goal came from Brahim Diaz, who capped off a strong performance to delight the Santiago Bernabeu crowd.
"I think we played a complete game today, my goal was good and it earned us the win, but it's not over," Diaz told Movistar. "There's still the second leg and we have to give everything, like we did today."
Diego Simeone's Atletico, who faced setbacks in the 2014 and 2016 finals against Real Madrid, managed to keep Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe at bay but ultimately fell short. The Rojiblancos played conservatively toward the end of the match, seemingly resigned to trailing by one goal ahead of next week’s return leg.
In another matchup, Arsenal’s promising young talents Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri played a vital role in their team's dominant 7-1 first leg triumph over a struggling PSV Eindhoven.
The Premier League side showcased a significant class difference against the Dutch champions, who endured their worst defeat ever in European competition. "No chance. Outplayed. Bad," PSV coach Peter Bosz remarked, reflecting on his team's performance.
It was a disheartening night for the 1988 European Cup winners, as frustrated fans left the stadium well before the final whistle. "You can lose. Just not like that," said club captain and talisman De Jong. "Everyone is annoyed about this. The fans, the players, believe me. We're not happy about this," he added.
In contrast, Arsenal enjoyed the advantage of a solid lead, with the winner of the Real Madrid-Atletico tie awaiting them as their next challenge.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa secured a commanding 3-1 win away at Club Brugge in their first leg of the last 16. Leon Bailey opened the scoring for Villa at the Jan Breydelstadion, but Maxim De Cuyper soon equalized.
Club Brugge held their own against their Premier League adversaries, yet Brandon Mechele's own goal in the 82nd minute restored Villa's lead. Substitute Asensio then converted an 88th-minute penalty, marking his fifth goal in four matches, and wrapping up a victory that puts the 1982 European Cup winners in a strong position.
In Germany, Borussia Dortmund played to a 1-1 draw with Lille in their first leg after Hakon Haraldsson equalized in the second half.
Dortmund appeared dominant after Karim Adeyemi scored in the 22nd minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. However, Lille striker Jonathan David exploited a lapse in Dortmund's defense in the 68th minute, assisting Haraldsson, who found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and finished effectively.
Dortmund will need to secure a win in northern France next week if they hope to advance in Europe and salvage a season that has been far from satisfying thus far.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
