Real Madrid secured a narrow 2-1 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Arsenal delivered a stunning performance, demolishing PSV Eindhoven 7-1 to take a commanding lead into the second leg.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid took the lead through Rodrygo Goes, who fired the hosts ahead with a brilliant finish. Atletico responded swiftly, with an equalizer from Ángel Correa. However, it was Brahim Díaz who sealed the win for the 15-time champions, slotting home the decisive goal to the delight of the home fans.
“I think we played a complete game today,” Díaz told Movistar after the match. “My goal was good and it earned us the win, but it’s not over. There’s still the second leg, and we have to give everything, like we did today.”
Atletico Madrid managed to keep Real’s star forward Vinícius Júnior relatively quiet but couldn’t prevent the defeat. In the closing stages, Diego Simeone’s side seemed content to accept the one-goal deficit heading into the second leg at home next week.
Over in London, Arsenal’s youthful exuberance was on full display as teenagers Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri combined to lead the Gunners to an emphatic victory over a beleaguered PSV. The Premier League side was in a league of their own, outclassing the Dutch champions who suffered their worst-ever European defeat.
PSV coach Peter Bosz didn’t mince words about his team’s performance. “No chance. Outplayed. Bad,” he said. Club captain Luuk de Jong echoed the sentiment: “You can lose. Just not like that. Everyone is annoyed about this—the fans, the players. Believe me, we’re not happy about this.”
With such a dominant display, Arsenal can look forward to the return leg with confidence, while PSV faces a monumental task to turn the tie around.
In Belgium, Aston Villa claimed a 3-1 victory away to Club Brugge. Leon Bailey opened the scoring early for Villa, but Brugge’s Maxim De Cuyper equalized shortly after. The match remained evenly poised until an own goal by Brandon Mechele in the 82nd minute put the visitors back in front. Substitute Ollie Watkins sealed the win with an 88th-minute penalty, putting the 1982 European Cup winners in a strong position for the second leg.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Lille. Karim Adeyemi gave Dortmund the lead with a powerful strike in the 22nd minute. However, Lille fought back in the second half, with Hakon Haraldsson capitalizing on a defensive lapse to equalize. Dortmund face a challenging trip to France next week, needing a victory to advance and salvage what’s been a disappointing season so far.
