Barcelona faces a tough challenge in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal after losing 2-0 at home to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
The hosts at Camp Nou were reduced to 10 men just before halftime when Pau Cubarsí was sent off. Atletico Madrid immediately capitalized, with Julian Alvarez scoring from the resulting free-kick to put the visitors ahead.
In the second half, Barcelona came close to a response as Marcus Rashford hit the woodwork, but Alexander Sorloth sealed Atletico’s 2-0 advantage, leaving Barcelona with a steep uphill battle for the return leg.
The setback is particularly painful for Barcelona, who had beaten Atletico 2-1 in La Liga last weekend, making this first-leg defeat a significant blow ahead of their trip to the Wanda Metropolitano.
