Los Colchoneros at their clinical best (April 7)
Hansi Flick promised total football, but he ran into the wall Diego Simeone has been building for years. Barcelona dominated possession (68%), yet failed to create any real danger in front of Jan Oblak's goal. Robert Lewandowski was tightly marshalled by Jose Maria Gimenez and rarely found himself in shooting positions.
Atletico waited for their chances and took both with surgical precision. First, in the 38th minute, Antoine Griezmann finished off a textbook counter-attack, then in the second half, after a Pau Cubarsi error, Julian Alvarez made it 2:0. Wojciech Szczesny, despite several good saves, was powerless to stop either strike.
The weight of the second leg
A 0:2 defeat puts Barcelona firmly against the wall. The Catalan club must win at the Metropolitano by a two-goal margin just to force extra time. That task looks almost insurmountable given Atletico's defensive record at home. The second leg is on April 14 in Madrid.