Cholo and his Spider stun Camp Nou! Ten-man Barca drowned in Simeone's trenches

What a die-hard battle, what a coaching masterpiece, what a shocking outcome at Camp Nou!

Atletico Madrid are on the verge of reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after a stunning 2-0 away win against ten-man Barcelona on Wednesday night.

No one expected Barca to finish all the work in the first leg of this all-Spanish quarter-final tie, but the final score shows just one thing - that Diego Cholo Simeone is a bloody genius! No one asks you to worship him; there's even no need to like him at all, but the Argentine tactician deserves a standing ovation for his miraculous ways of confronting those giants of European football. For being toe-to-toe with them, for dismantling them on their own soil.

And that's exactly what we saw in the revenge game, just a few nights after their La Liga clash at Wanda Metropolitano, which ended in the Blaugrana's favour. That victory might be crucial for Barca's title race, but this defeat could put an end to their UCL dreams. And the start of this skirmish promised a whole different outcome...

The Camp Nou showdown had all the elements of serious drama, including Barca's furious start before a shocking turnaround at the end of the first half. Marcus Rashford and Julian Alvarez exchanged early close-range misses before Joao Cancelo made a mess on the left flank, but his effort ended in the keeper's hands.

Dazzling Rashford went for a tap-in from a challenging angle, but it stayed 0-0 on the scoreboard. Atleti's net stayed intact even after Lamine Yamal's jaw-dropping slalom, but Barcelona's pressure was omnipresent and almost palpable.

Alas, with no goal for the visitors, the game was about to take a complete U-turn seconds before the half-time break. Alvarez played Giuliano Simeone through on goal with a clever pass, and Pau Cubarsi knocked him down as the last man in defence, which resulted in a red card for the young Catalan centre-back after a VAR review. Barca had to continue with 10 men, but the worst was yet to come - Alvarez stepped up with a spectacular free-kick into the top corner for a shocking lead, 0-1.

Hansi Flick reacted promptly, leaving Robert Lewandowski and Pedri in the locker room, as Gavi and Fermin Lopez found their place in the attacking setup of the Catalan giants in the second half. The magician's stick, however, stayed in Yamal's hands (or legs, to be precise). The incredible forward launched another out-of-this-world pass with the outside of his foot, thus providing Rashford with another promising chance, but the English striker couldn't find the back of the net despite his enormous desire.

And then, against the run of play, again, the visitors struck - a simple yet effective response killed the home side, this time through Alexander Sorloth, who showcased a perfect finishing to make Barcelona miserable and push his team straight to the doors of the semi-final with a 2-0 win.

Cholo is on the verge of another magical upset, and Barcelona will have to pull off a genuine miracle in Madrid if they want to survive.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - QUARTER FINALS

First leg

Tuesday

Real Madrid - Bayern Munich 1-2 (0-1)

/Mbappe 74 - Diaz 41, Kane 46/

Sporting Lisbon - Arsenal 0-1 (0-0)

/Havertz 90+1/

Wednesday

Barcelona - Atletico Madrid 0-2 (0-1)

/Alvarez 45, Sorloth 70/

PSG - Liverpool 2-0 (1-0)

/Doue 11, Khvicha 65/