Real Madrid Beat Atletico 2-1 in Derby

Madrid, 5 Mar (ONA) — A superb
goal from Brahim Diaz helped Real Madrid maintain its dominance of the Madrid
derby on Europe’s biggest stage with a 2-1 victory over bitter rival Atletico
in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

Atletico has been beaten by the
record 15-time European champion in both Champions League final matchups and
has won only three of 11 meetings with their city rivals in UEFA competitions.

A tense encounter in the Spanish
capital was decided by a moment of individual brilliance. Diaz scored the
winner for Real Madrid after squeezing past a couple of Atletico players and
curling a low strike into the far corner in the 63rd minute, the Spanish MARCA
newspaper reported.

Diego Simeone’s team lost its finals
to Madrid in 2014 and 2016 and was eliminated the other two times they faced
off in the knockout rounds – in the 2015 quarterfinals and 2017 semifinals.

Meanwhile, Arsenal made a massive
step toward a quarterfinal spot with a 7-1 win at PSV Eindhoven.

On a good night for Premier League
teams, Aston Villa won 3-1 at Club Brugge, and Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 with
Lille.

Arsenal got off a shaky start and
Jurrien Timber scored against the run of the play with a header at the far
post, just after PSV hit the woodwork.

The London team never looked back
after that and led 3-0 at the half-hour mark. Noa Lang scored from the spot
before the interval for PSV, but the Dutch team crumbled once back from the
locker room.

Aston Villa shook off its poor away
form, and it was largely due to an own goal from a rival player.

A turning point came in the 82nd
minute when Club Brugge defender Brandon Mechele beat his own goalkeeper with
the teams tied 1-1. Mechele slid to stop a cross from Morgan Rogers, only to
deflect into the back of the net.

Before that, the Belgian side had
looked solid, enjoyed most of the possession and created the best chances in
the second half.

Looking demoralized, the hosts then
conceded a late penalty that was converted by substitute Marco Asensio.

Villa had suffered two away defeats
in the group phase of the tournament, including one at Club Brugge. In the
Premier League, the team has lost seven of 13 away matches.

Tonight, it will be Paris
Saint-Germain (PSG) hosting Liverpool, Inter Milan visiting Feyenoord, Benfica
taking on Barcelona, and Bayern Munich welcoming fellow German club Bayer
Leverkusen.

— Ends/Khalid