Goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloz gave Atletico Madrid a commanding 2-0 lead over 10-man Barcelona in a tense Champions League quarter-final first leg clash.
The La Liga leaders were in the lead in the All-Spanish international match at the Camp Nou on Wednesday when Pau Kvarsi was sent off for bringing down Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone inside the goal.
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Álvarez smashed in a free-kick for Sorloz to double their advantage with 20 minutes remaining, giving Atlético a great chance to advance to the semi-finals.
Diego Simeone’s side have never won the competition, but reached the finals in 2014 and 2016, losing to rivals Real Madrid both times.
Last season’s semi-finalists Barça need a big upset in Madrid next Tuesday if they are to have any chance of lifting the trophy they last won in 2015.
Atlético eliminated Barça in the Copa del Rey semi-finals in March, the second of three meetings between the teams in a fortnight.
Barcelona got off to a good start with Marcus Rashford, who joined on loan from Manchester United, as their mainstay on the left flank.
Atlético tried to contain teenage star Lamine Yamal on the right with their defenders, giving Rashford space.
The England international’s first chance came in Saturday’s La Liga match against Atlético, but his effort was denied by goalkeeper Juan Musso.
Meanwhile, Alvarez, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona in recent months, tested Joao Garcia.
Rashford, a busy man who was constantly running past Nahuel Molina, sent a volley wide and into the bottom corner, only to have it disallowed for offside against Yamal in the build-up.
The 18-year-old showed great skill in breaking free from three Atletico defenders, but his shot was blocked by Robin Le Normand.
Atlético’s veteran midfielder Koke was lucky to remain on the pitch after fouls on Dani Olmo, Pedri and Yamal were punished with only a yellow card, infuriating Barça supporters.
Hansi Flick’s side were in control of the match, with Atletico talisman Antoine Griezmann keeping quiet against his former club, but a momentary mismanagement by Kvarsi gave the visitors a dramatic advantage before half-time.
The 19-year-old centre-back chased down Giuliano Simeone, who ran in front of goal to get the ball from Alvarez into the back of the Barça defense, before slamming the Atlético manager’s son from behind.
Referee István Kovac only gave Kvarši a yellow card, but after a VAR review, it was upgraded to a red card.
To make matters worse for Barça, former Manchester City striker Alvarez smashed a free-kick into the top corner.
Barça coach Flick made his move at half-time, removing the quiet Robert Lewandowski and the reserved Pedri and replacing him with the energetic midfield tandem of Gabi and Fermín López.
The hosts were able to continue to play well with 10 men as Barça continued to create chances for Rashford. Yamal sent a through ball up front in front of the goal, but after passing around it, Musso simply hit it into the side netting.
Le Normand brought down Yamal in front of the box and Rashford’s free-kick was tipped over by Musso.
Atlético’s second goal was once again against the flow of the game.
Griezmann and Matteo Ruggieri combined and the latter crossed to target man Sorloth, who outran Gerard Martin and fired past a helpless Garcia.
Musso then produced saves from Joao Cancelo and Yamal, but Barça were unable to find the back of the net, leaving the five-time champions in a difficult position ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg.
Lookman said the performance and clean sheet showed the team’s unity.
“Of course Barcelona are a top team and the situation they are in, but we have to work hard and stick together and when we get the chance we have to seize it,” he told TNT Sport.
“(The second leg) is going to be a big game, we know that. We definitely need composure, but we’ll take every game that comes our way. So it was a good win today, but let’s build on to the next game.”
Meanwhile, coach Flick said his team was unlucky, especially after receiving a red card.
“Today we were unlucky. We played well in the first half. We got a red card and directly scored the goal. In the second half we played well with one less player and then they scored the goal,” he told TNT Sports.
“We have the quality to come back. This is our goal. We have to think positively now. I’m proud of my team.”
In Wednesday’s other quarter-final, holders Paris Saint-Germain beat Liverpool 2-0 at home, thanks to goals from Desiree Douet and Hviča Kvaratscheria.
Doue and Kvaratsjeria scored on either side of half-time to give Luis Enrique’s side a solid advantage ahead of next week’s return trip to Anfield, where PSG secured a place in the last eight last season.
