Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid moved closer to the Champions League quarterfinals with commanding victories on Tuesday, while Liverpool suffered defeat and Barcelona needed a dramatic late penalty to avoid losing, reports UNB.
Bayern thrashed Atalanta 6-1 away despite leaving top scorer Harry Kane out of the starting lineup. Atletico Madrid also produced a dominant performance, beating Tottenham 5-2 after racing to a 3-0 lead within the opening 15 minutes.
In other matches, Liverpool lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in Istanbul, while Barcelona secured a 1-1 draw against Newcastle thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from teenage star Lamine Yamal.
Bayern’s impressive display came even without Kane, who has scored 47 goals this season for club and country but was only fit enough for the bench.
Michael Olise scored twice for the German champions, while Serge Gnabry and Nicolas Jackson both scored and assisted. Josip Stanisic and Jamal Musiala also found the net as Bayern overwhelmed Atalanta to take a commanding advantage into the second leg.
Tottenham endured a disastrous start in Madrid after coach Igor Tudor opted to drop first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
His replacement, Antonin Kinsky, struggled badly on his Champions League debut. A slip and miskick in the sixth minute allowed Marcos Llorente to open the scoring for Atletico, before Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead shortly afterwards.
Another error by Kinsky gifted Julian Alvarez an easy third goal, and the goalkeeper was substituted in the 17th minute. Vicario replaced him but conceded just five minutes later when Robin Le Normand scored Atletico’s fourth.
Although Spurs managed to rally later in the game, the heavy defeat leaves them facing an uphill battle in the return leg.
“We knew how to take advantage of our opponents’ mistakes to gain a good lead,” Alvarez said, adding that Atletico now head into the second leg with a three-goal cushion.
Barcelona were moments away from defeat at Newcastle before earning a late penalty deep into stoppage time.
Malick Thiaw fouled Dani Olmo in the box and referee Marco Guida awarded a penalty. Eighteen-year-old Yamal calmly converted in the 96th minute to level the score, and the final whistle followed immediately after.
Newcastle had taken the lead in the 86th minute through Harvey Barnes, who also struck the post earlier in the match.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted his side did not perform at their best but said the young squad has strong potential.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, secured a narrow advantage over Liverpool in their round-of-16 tie with a 1-0 win in Istanbul.
Mario Lemina scored the only goal with a header in the seventh minute, giving the Turkish champions the edge heading into next week’s second leg at Anfield.
Galatasaray had opportunities to extend their lead, including a second-half strike from Victor Osimhen that was ruled out for offside, while Liverpool saw Ibrahima Konate’s effort disallowed for handball following a VAR review.
Liverpool coach Arne Slot said the tie is far from over, noting that the return leg will be played at Anfield in front of their home supporters.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
