A pleasant evening to and welcome to Nigerianeye live commentary of the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou.
The last Champions League tie between these two teams took place in the 2013-14 season, when Atletico overcame Barcelona 2-1 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals.
In fact, Atletico are the only team to prevent reigning champions Barcelona from reaching the semi-finals of this competition in the last eight seasons.
That said, Barcelona have won both of their league meetings this season – following a 2-1 victory at the Vicente Calderon with the same scoreline in this stadium. The Catalan outfit are also currently on a six-game winning streak against Atletico
Official Line-up:
BARCA: Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
ATLETICO: Oblak; Juanfran, Lucas, Godin, Luis; Koke, Gabi, Saul; Carrasco, Torres, Griezmann
The referee brings the second period to a close with Barcelona running out 2-1 winners over 10-man Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. We will do it all again in Madrid next week! Thanks for joining Nigerianeye for the action. Until next time!
90 min+5 FULL-TIME: Barcelona 2-1 Atletico
90 min+4 Atletico have little over one minute to hold out for a 2-1 defeat here.
90 min+3 Barcelona continue to put the pressure on Atletico's back four late on here.
90 min+2 Good work from Thomas as the Atletico midfielder wins a free kick for his team.
90 min+1 ATLETICO SUB! Angel Correa replaces Saul in Atletico's final change.
90 min... Alves is up to clear with a super header!
89 min Godin meets a deep free kick from Gabi and his presence wins a corner for Atletico late on...
86 min BOOKING! Augusto (Atletico) is booked for a late challenge on Alves.
86 min Messi goes down inside the Atletico box under pressure from two defenders, but the referee is not interested and it was the correct decision. In fairness, Messi did not ask for one himself!
85 min Gabi hobbles off the pitch for Atletico after receiving some treatment on the park.
83 min BARCELONA SUB! Turan replaces Iniesta for the home side.
83 min BOOKING! Mascherano (Barcelona) is booked for a late challenge on Saul.
81 min BARCELONA SUB! Sergi Roberto replaces Busquets for the home team.
79 min BOOKING! Oblak (Atletico) is booked for wasting time.
78 min BOOKING! Lucas (Atletico) is booked for a late challenge on Neymar.
77 min ATLETICO SUB! Thomas replaces Griezmann for the away team.
75 min It has been coming! Barcelona take the lead on the night in the 74th minute as Suarez plays a super ball into Alves, who returns the favour and the striker thumps his header past Oblak!
74 min GOAL! Barcelona 2-1 Atletico (Suarez)
73 min BOOKING! Griezmann (Atletico) is booked for a late challenge on Alba.
73 min Neymar dives into Koke and the Atletico players are not happy that the Brazilian has escaped a yellow card there. Atletico are doing their best to slow the game down at the moment here.
71 min Griezmann volleys well over the crossbar as Atletico have a rare venture forward.
70 min... BOOKING! It is yellow for Suarez (Barcelona) following that push on Luis.
70 min Luis has just gone down inside his own box following a challenge with Suarez...
68 min You just get the feeling that there is another goal in this match, but in truth, Atletico have hardly been in the Barcelona half since the restart. There seems to be a lot more space in the middle of the park at the moment, which is allowing the home side to transition between defence and attack.
66 min Atletico just cannot find a way out of their own half at the moment as they attempt to control this Barcelona train, which shows no sign of stopping. Still at least 25 minutes left of this first leg here.
64 min BARCELONA SUB! Rafinha replaces Rakitic for the home side.
64 min Barcelona are finally level as Suarez turns a low Alba strike into the back of the net from close range. Not a pretty goal, but they all count and Barcelona have levelled this tie up at 1-1!
63 min GOOOOAL! Barcelona 1-1 Atletico (Suarez)
62 min CLOSE! Neymar sends a left-footed strike just wide of Oblak's post!
61 min Saul Niguez manages to break forward and give Atletico's defence some respite as the 60-minute mark passes at Camp Nou. Barcelona, surely, will find at least one goal in this first leg tonight.
59 min Anywhere will do for Atletico at the moment as Barcelona continue to utterly dominate the ball in the final third. It is almost like an attack versus defence training exercise on the pitch here!
57 min SAVE! Oblak gets down to keep out Messi as Barcelona flood forward here.
56 min SAVE! Another wonderful chance for Barcelona as Rakitic picks out the head of Neymar inside the Atletico box, but the Brazilian's effort is straight at Oblak. Atletico are on the ropes here!
54 min ATLETICO SUB! Fernandez replaces Carrasco in Atletico's first change.
52 min Stunning last-ditch challenge from Luis on Messi as Barcelona up the tempo here!
51 min CROSSBAR! Neymar bursts into life and hammers one towards the top corner, but his effort smashes off the crossbar as Barcelona continue to put the pressure on this Atletico defence!
49 min CLOSE! Carrasco just fails to find a teammate with a low cross into the Barcelona box and the home side are quickly on the counter. Neymar finds Messi with a fine pass, but the Argentine's excellent over-head kick is just wide of the post. End-to-end football at Camp Nou!
48 min BOOKING! Busquets (Barcelona) is booked for a late challenge on Saul.
48 min Half-chance for Atletico as Saul sets up Luis with a super cross from the left, but the defender's header is blocked. Barcelona launch a break and Neymar slides a pass into Suarez, but the striker is offside once again. It has not taken long for this match to warm-up after the interval here.
47 min... no changes from either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise. However, I suspect that both managers will have alterations in mind as the second period gathers pace here.
46 min RESTART! Here we go then - both sets of players re-join us on the pitch for the second period. Can Atletico hold out to record a first-leg win? We shall see! The home side resume the action here...
STATS! As expected, Barcelona have dominated the possession with 66%, but they have only registered one attempt on target and that was a tame strike from Mascherano. Atletico, meanwhile, have hit the target with two of their four attempts. There have been three yellow cards in total - one for Koke and two for Fernando Torres, which saw the Spaniard sent off in the 35th minute.
In the other game, Bayern Munich lead Benfica courtesy of an Arturo vidal header.
The referee brings a feisty first period to an end with Atletico leading Barcelona 1-0 courtesy of a 25th-minute strike from Fernando Torres. The visitors are down to 10 men, however, after seeing their goal-scorer sent off 10 minutes before the break. Barcelona have been restricted to few opportunities on home soil, but surely chances will arrive in the second 45 here.
45 min+3HALF-TIME: Barcelona 0-1 Atletico
45 min+2 Neymar fires over the crossbar as Barcelona are forced to shoot from distance once more.
45 min+1 The referee has indicated that we will play two additional minutes at the end of the first period.
45 min Suarez is judged to be in an offside position as Atletico survive another period of pressure.
44 min Just a reminder that the second leg of this quarter-final will take place at the Vicente Calderon next week. Atletico would be absolutely delighted to take a 1-0 lead into that match, but I would be surprised if Barcelona did not score at least once tonight. Not long left in this first period.
42 min Oblak's first save is from a tame Mascherano strike.
41 min I would be surprised if we had seen the last of the cards in this match as both sets of players continue to clash. Atletico are even deeper at the moment as they attempt to keep their one-goal lead in tact in the final minutes of this first period. It is so delicately poised at Camp Nou now.
38 min It is now kicking off between Iniesta and Godin! It is a real shame because this has been a brilliant football match, but it is being spoiled at the moment. Everyone just needs to settle down a touch!
The last time both teams met in La Liga, Atletico Madrid had two men sent off. That could well repeat itself with Atletico's physical approach to the game.
37 min Torres dived into Busquets and it might well have been a yellow! Stupid challenge!
36 min Oh my word! Torres has just been sent off! The Spaniard picked up a yellow card in the 29th minute and he has just picked up another. It is all kicking off and Simeone is furious on the touchline!
35 min RED CARD! TORRES!
35 min Barcelona just cannot find a route through this Atletico defence at the moment as Godin and Juanfran take it in turns to produce excellent pieces of defending. Messi remains Barcelona's most dangerous player in the final third, but we have seen very little from Suarez thus far tonight.
33 minBOOKING! Koke (Atletico) is booked for a late challenge on Messi.
32 min SAVE! Super save from Ter Stegen as the Barcelona goalkeeper pushes a low Griezmann strike wide of the post. It was heading for the bottom corner after another quick counter-attack!
31 minAtletico just need to be careful here as they continue to dive into challenges and the last thing they need is to pick up a red card. On their last visit to Camp Nou, both Luis and Godin received their marching orders. More frustration for Barcelona as Alba loses a tussle with Lucas in the final third.
29 min BOOKING! Torres (Atletico) is booked for a late challenge on Neymar.
28 min It has been a decent response from Barcelona and Messi again strikes one from just outside the Atletico box, but the visitors have bodies in the way and the danger is cleared. The home supporters are doing their best to raise the Catalan side and they are firmly on the front foot here.
26 min Atletico make the breakthrough in the 25th minute at Camp Nou as Torres meets a super Koke pass before firing home from close range. Not sure about the defending, but some finish from Torres!
25 min GOAL! Barcelona 0-1 Atletico (Torres)
24 min First half-chance for Atletico as Griezmann strikes one from outside the box, but his low effort was always moving wide of the post. Just a warning for Barcelona that Atletico are here tonight.
22 min Not an awful lot for the Atletico supporters to get excited about going forward, but their team has been nice and tight at the back in the opening 22 minutes. Barcelona continue to look for that elusive pass in the final third, but it is very tight in the Atletico box with blue shirts everywhere!
19 min CHANCE! Wonderful chance for the home side to take the lead as Alves picks out the head of Neymar inside the Atletico box, but the Brazilian heads over from close range! Some chance!
19 min Godin comes striding forward from centre-back for Atletico, but the Uruguay international loses possession and Barcelona have the chance to break. Again it is sloppy work from the team in yellow though and Atletico eventually force a free kick in a wide position. Still goalless in this quarter-final.
17 min The likes of Neymar and Suarez have been quite sloppy in the opening 17 minutes tonight, with Messi comfortably Barcelona's biggest threat in the final third thus far. There has not really been a standout chance for either team, but Barcelona are in control of the possession on home soil here.
14 min Another half-chance for Barcelona as Messi meets a Alba cross just inside the Atletico box, but the Argentine fires well wide of the post. On his left foot, Messi will be very disappointed with that!
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13 min There is a very strange atmosphere inside the stadium at the moment. It is almost silent. The home supporters were extremely vocal in the early stages, but Atletico's style and ability to kill the match has seen the noise levels drop. It is all going to plan for Simeone's side with 13 minutes now played.
11 min Super challenge from Godin as the Atletico centre-back prevents Iniesta from moving into a dangerous position. Not an awful lot to report in terms of chances in the opening 11 minutes here.
10 min Atletico continue to keep their shape, but the visitors are struggling to keep the ball at the moment and you sense that Barcelona will create chances as the match develops. That said, Fernando Torres has been a willing runner in the opening 10 minutes - providing an option in the final third.
8 min Possession football from the home side as they continue to pass and probe in the Atletico half of the field, but as expected, the visitors are water-tight at the back. You just get the feeling that the first goal of this quarter-final tie - if there indeed is one - could end up being crucial to the outcome.
5 min Messi tries his luck from just outside the box, but his low strike was always wide of the post.
5 min Barcelona move the ball from right to left as they attempt to find space in the final third, but Atletico have so many bodies back and the home side cannot find a route through. Eventually Busquets looks for the head of Neymar, but Luis does enough to ease the Brazilian off the ball.
3 min Messi lifts the ball into Suarez as Barcelona threaten just outside the Atletico box, but the ball runs away from Suarez and Atletico resume with a goal kick. Wonderful atmosphere at Camp Nou tonight!
2 min... both teams are playing in their away kit this evening due to UEFA rules, which is very strange indeed. Barcelona, in yellow, have taken control of the ball in the opening couple of minutes and that will be the pattern for tonight's match. Atletico will have no problem sitting deep at Camp Nou.
0 min KICKOFF! The pre-match handshakes have been undertaken and the flags have been exchanged. Champions League action is back as the holders Barcelona welcome Atletico for the first leg of their quarter-final clash - here's to a good game! It is the away side that kick things off in Spain...
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Torres was very careless, he didnt need that Red card
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