Bayer Leverkusen 2-4 Atletico Madrid: Atleti hold first-leg advantage

Atletico Madrid have the advantage after beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash at the BayArena on Tuesday night.



The visitors led 2-0 at the break after goals from Saul Niguez (17) and Antoine Griezmann (25), who became his club's record European Cup goalscorer in the process, only for Leverkusen to reduce the deficit through Karim Bellarabi three minutes into the second half.
However, the home side's joy was short-lived as Kevin Gameiro's penalty restored Atleti's two-goal lead and despite Stefan Savic's own goal giving Leverkusen hope of another comeback, substitute Fernando Torres scored late on to leave Diego Simeone's team holding all the aces.

Leverkusen were without defender Lars Bender after the Germany international lost his race to be fit for the clash.
Meanwhile, Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak returned from the dislocated shoulder he suffered back in December, although the Slovenia international had to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench.



It was the visitors, though, who got into their stride early with Griezmann initially being denied by Bernd Leno after being released on goal by Filipe Luis, before Wendell then sliced the latter's left-wing cross on to his own bar in a desperate attempt to make a clearance.
Those close calls were soon forgotten, though, as Atleti took the lead, and what a goal it was too as Niguez got past Kevin Kampl on the right flank, before cutting in and curling an unstoppable effort from the edge of the box past Leno and into the top left-hand corner of the net.
Just eight minutes later and Atletico doubled their lead, although Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt will be disappointed with his side's part in the goal.

Atletico's players celebrate Saul's stunning opener at the BayArena 

Aleksandar Dragovic made a hash of his clearance deep inside Atleti's half, allowing the pacy Kevin Gameiro the chance to race clear over the halfway line and run at the backtracking Omer Toprak.
The Frenchman then did brilliantly to hold the ball up, allowing Griezmann to catch up with play, before laying the ball off for his compatriot to side-foot home his 17th goal of the season, and 14th in
the Champions League.
Aleksandar Dragovic made a hash of his clearance deep inside Atleti's half, allowing the pacy Kevin Gameiro the chance to race clear over the halfway line and run at the backtracking Omer Toprak.
The Frenchman then did brilliantly to hold the ball up, allowing Griezmann to catch up with play, before laying the ball off for his compatriot to side-foot home his 17th goal of the season, and 14th in the Champions League.
Leverkusen looked well beaten at the break, and would have found themselves further behind had Leno not done brilliantly to deny Griezmann with a close-range save with his legs, only to get back into the contest within three minutes of the restart.
Kampl's inch-perfect pass released overlapping right-back Benjamin Henrichs, whose pull back was then expertly finished by Bellarabi, only for the visitors to hit back again within 10 minutes.


 Griezmann doubled Atletico's lead midway through the first half


Gameiro, who had already hit the bar with a thunderous effort minutes earlier, wriggled free of the hapless Dragovic, who hauled the forward to the ground, with the referee deciding the offence had taken place just inside the box.
The France international kept his cool from the spot by drilling the ball straight down the middle as Leno dived to his right, the player's 13th goal since moving to the Vicente Calderon from Sevilla last summer.
However, the Bundesliga side would not lie down and got themselves back into the contest again after 67 minutes, albeit thanks to a large slice of luck.

 Fernando Torres scores the fourth goal

Julian Brandt, who was outstanding on the left wing all night, sent in a dangerous cross which Miguel Moya palmed out, only for the ball to hit the unknowing Savic and rebound into the back of the net.
Leverkusen then pushed forward in search of an unlikely equaliser to take with them to the Spanish capital in three weeks' time and were desperately unlucky not to draw level with eight minutes to go, but Filipe Luis cleared Javier Hernandez's goalbound shot off the line.
And that close call was made to look even more vital when substitute Torres was afforded the freedom of the penalty area to headed in Sime Vrsaljko's right-wing cross.