Madrid edge Atletico, Arsenal romp to emphatic win

AP:

A SUPERB goal from Brahim Diaz helped Real Madrid maintain their dominance of the Madrid derby on Europe’s biggest stage with a 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie yesterday.

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

Also yesterday, Arsenal made a massive step towards 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.

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.

Diego Simeone’s team lost 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.

Arsenal got off to a shaky start but 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 their 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 demoralised, 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 have lost seven of 13 away matches.

Today, Paris Saint-Germain host Liverpool, Inter Milan visit Feyenoord, Benfica take on Barcelona, and Bayern Munich welcome fellow German club Bayer Leverkusen.