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MADRID, April 28
A breathtaking individual goal from Saul Niguez put Atletico Madrid in the box seat in their Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich with a 1-0 victory in a tense first leg on Wednesday.
The midfielder magically weaved his way through the Bayern defence and produced a low finish that went in off the post to put the home side in front after 11 minutes.
Diego Simeone’s superbly-drilled outfit then snuffed out Bayern’s threat and even came close to doubling their lead late on when Fernando Torres’s shot struck the post.
“It was a great game, everyone believed in their work. We put in a huge effort,” said Simeone, whose Atletico side have frequently been a scourge of more-fancied opponents with their disciplined rearguard frustrating Barcelona in the last round.
While Bayern’s David Alaba also hit the woodwork with a thumping drive, the result left Pep Guardiola’s side facing a huge task in next week’s return leg in Munich to avoid a third successive semifinal exit.
“I’m not happy with how we played,” said Guardiola, who is leaving Bayern in the close-season to join Manchester City. “We started badly. The goal was a consequence of our slow play. We didn’t win even one battle.”
Atletico made an intense start in the first competitive meeting between the two sides since Bayern beat the Spaniards 4-0 in the 1974 European Cup final replay.
Saul drove them in front with a sensational run from the right, snaking inside and beating three players before fending off two more and bending the ball in off the far post with a flick of his left boot. — Reuters
Champions league
Result
Atletico 1 0 Bayern
Niguez 11’
4
6
7
9