Atletico Madrid beat 10-man Barcelona following Pau Cubarsi red card
Atletico Madrid took control of their Champions League quarter-final tie with a 2-0 first-leg victory over Barcelona after defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off following a pivotal VAR review.
The match-defining incident arrived in the 44th minute with the Spanish rivals locked in a tense, goalless stalemate.
Giuliano Simeone appeared to be bearing down on goal when he was tripped by the teenage centre-back.
Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs initially opted to show a yellow card, judging that the attacker was not in full control of an airborne ball.
VAR intervenes to overturn DOGSO decision
Video assistant referee Christian Dingert subsequently advised an on-field review for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Replays clearly indicated that without the foul, the Argentine forward would have progressed into the penalty area with a clear chance to score.
Kovacs reversed his original call and dismissed the Spanish international, reducing the hosts to 10 men.
Former Premier League referee Andy Davies praised the intervention, describing it as a positive and correct use of the technology.
Atletico capitalise to take first-leg advantage
The visitors ruthlessly exploited their numerical superiority almost immediately.
World Cup winner Julian Alvarez curled home a delightful free-kick from the resulting set-piece to break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.
Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth later added a second to secure a commanding lead for Diego Simeone’s side.
The Catalan giants now face a daunting task in Tuesday’s return leg at the Metropolitano Stadium to keep their European hopes alive.
