Atletico Madrid and Barcelona Secure Thrilling Champions League Wins in Dramatic Fashion

Madrid: Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona clinched crucial victories in the Champions League, each in nail-biting fashion. Atletico edged past Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 with a last-minute winner, while Barcelona staged a sensational comeback to defeat Benfica 5-4, sealing their place in the Round of 16.

Atletico Madrid found themselves trailing after Piero Hincapie’s first-half header, assisted by Nordi Mukiele. The Spanish side had already been reduced to 10 men in the 24th minute when Pablo Barrios was shown a red card after a VAR review for a high challenge.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Atletico responded seven minutes into the second half as Julio Alvarez capitalized on a long ball, shrugged off defenders, and slotted home the equalizer. The match turned in Atletico’s favor in the 75th minute when Hincapie received a second yellow card, leaving both teams with 10 men. With extra space on the field, Alvarez struck again in stoppage time, finishing a pass from Angel Correa to secure a vital win. Atletico now sits on 15 points with one group game remaining against Salzburg.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s clash with Benfica turned into a goal-fest. The Spanish giants fell behind early as Vangelis Pavlidis netted a hat-trick within the first 30 minutes. His first came just two minutes into the match following a quick counterattack. Although Robert Lewandowski equalized from the penalty spot in the ninth minute, a costly error from Barca’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny gifted Pavlidis his second. Szczesny then conceded another penalty, which the Greek striker converted for a stunning 3-1 lead.

Benfica’s own defensive mishap allowed Barca back into the game when Anatolii Trubin’s clearance rebounded off Raphinha and into the net. However, an unfortunate own goal from Ronald Araujo restored Benfica’s two-goal cushion at 4-2.

Barca refused to back down. Lewandowski converted his second penalty of the night in the 77th minute after Lamine Yamal won a contentious foul in the box. Eric Garcia then leveled the score in the 86th minute, heading in a precise cross from Pedri.

With Benfica pushing for a winner, Szczesny redeemed himself with a crucial injury-time save to deny Angel Di Maria. In the final moments, Raphinha broke free from his own half and slotted home the winning goal, sealing Barcelona’s place in the knockout stage.

Both Spanish clubs celebrated hard-fought victories, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the group phase.

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