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Rock-solid Atleti get the better of 10-man Barcelona

Atletico Madrid took a firm grip on their Champions League ⁠quarter-final as goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth earned a 2-0 first-leg victory over 10-man Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona dominated proceedings, but Atletico's rock-solid defence combined ‌with swift ⁠counter-attacks paid off after Pau Cubarsi was sent off for hauling down Giuliano Simeone in the 42nd minute as the last man.

Alvarez ‌brilliantly curled the resulting free kick from 25 metres ⁠into the top corner in ‌first-half stoppage time to silence the sold-out ⁠Catalan ‌stadium.

Rashford struck the crossbar from a free kick soon after half-time but Simeone's side remained ⁠disciplined and doubled their lead in the ⁠70th minute when Mateo Ruggeri crossed from the left and Sorloth volleyed in from close range, sealing a decisive away win.

In the Europa League, Cucho Hernandez's second-half penalty earned Real Betis a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their quarter-final at Braga.

Florian Grillitsch had got the hosts off to a fast start with a clever finish after five minutes, but Betis responded well and hit the post through Marc Bartra while Lukas Hornicek denied Hernandez.

The Spanish side levelled just after the hour when Hernandez converted from the spot after Abde Ezzalzouli was fouled.

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