An early goal by youngster Saul Niguez gave Atletico Madrid a gritty 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Niguez cleared three defenders before entering the area and hitting a low, well-placed shot into the far corner in the 11th minute at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.
A draw next week in Germany would be enough for Diego Simeone’s side to reach the final for the second time in the past three seasons.
Photo: AFP
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern, trying to reach the final for the first time since winning the title in 2013, came close to equalizing with a long-range shot by David Alaba in the 54th minute, but the ball struck the crossbar with Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak already beaten.
Striker Fernando Torres could have increased Atletico’s advantage in the 75th minute, but he also struck the woodwork after a breakaway.
“It was a fantastic night and I am happy for all Atletico supporters,” Torres said. “We have got what we wanted, which was to get the scoreline in our favor ahead of the second leg.”
The defeat ended Bayern’s 11-game unbeaten streak and kept the German side winless in their past eight knockout games away from home.
Bayern, in the semi-finals for the fifth straight year, have been eliminated by Spanish clubs at this stage of the Champions League in the past two seasons — Real Madrid in 2013-2014 and Barcelona in 2014-2015. It was the team’s ninth loss in 13 trips to Spain.
Guardiola’s team controlled possession, but were not able to break through the tight defense set up by Simeone.
Bayern were able to threaten more in the second half and created some clear scoring chances, but could not capitalize on any of them. In addition to Alaba’s shot onto the crossbar, Bayern also came close to scoring with a header by Javi Martinez in the 56th minute and a powerful shot by Arturo Vidal in the 73rd.
Both attempts required difficult saves by Oblak, who has kept a clean sheet in five straight games.
“We did very well in the second half,” Alaba said. “We created a lot of chances, but in the end, it was not enough.”
Atletico also had not created much when Niguez scored to ignite the crowd of more than 50,000 fans. The midfielder left three defenders behind outside the area before moving into the box and clearing another one before calmly firing a left-foot shot past Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The ball struck the far post before going in.
France striker Antoine Griezmann, who scored two goals when Atletico eliminated Barcelona in the quarter-finals, almost increased the lead from close range in the 30th minute — but Neuer made a great save with his left foot.
It was Atletico’s 25th win in 30 European games at the Estadio Vicente Calderon. Simeone’s team have not lost at home in 10 straight games, winning eight, and have not conceded a goal in five straight games.
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