Bayer Leverkusen beat last season’s runners-up Atlético Madrid thanks to a fine strike by Hakan Calhanoglu.
The Turkey international scored the 57th-minute winner to set Leverkusen, who are struggling for form in the Bundesliga, on the way to their first win at the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
For Atlético, who were left with 10 men when Tiago was sent off following a second booking in the 76th minute, it was only their second defeat in a Champions League away game since September 2013.
The Spanish champions will also be missing key defender Diego Godín for the return leg after the Uruguayan was booked and will be suspended in Madrid.
“I put everything I had, all my power into this shot, all the pressure from the last few games,” Calhanoglu said. “It was a bit of a liberation for me. It is great for the team. But we still have to do the same in Spain.”
Calhanoglu and his team-mates produced an impressive performance at just the right time as they look to book a spot in the last eight while battling criticism at home.
“In all Champions League games this season we have showed we can play well. We showed it today again,” said Calhanoglu, who joined from Hamburg SV this season
Roger Schmidt breathed a sigh of relief. “We looked forward to this game and we saw it as our path to the quarter-finals,” the manager said. “I don’t want to single out any player but Hakan’s goal was just amazing. We needed such a result after these weeks.”
Leverkusen hoped the European stage would lift their game after a rocky start to the year sent them down to sixth in the Bundesliga. They did not have to wait long for a chance with the Atlético striker Mario Mandzukic clearing an Emir Spahic effort on the line in the 12th minute. The Bosnian defender came even closer in the 26th when his thundering drive bounced off the crossbar.
Atlético needed almost 40 minutes to find their feet and responded with a chance of their own, the goalkeeper Bernd Leno clearing a cross at the last moment with Antoine Griezman ready to head in.
Leno saved the hosts with a brilliant reflex effort on the stroke of halftime, palming away a powerful volley from Tiago.
In a very physical encounter in which Diego Simeone and Schmidt had a heated argument on the sidelines, Leverkusen grabbed a deserved lead through Calhanoglu. Karim Bellarabi drew three players on to him before cleverly flicking the ball on for Calhanoglu who lashed the ball into the roof of the net.
Atlético, who will be without Godín and Tiago in the return leg, were toothless even when Simeone brought on Fernando Torres to form a three-pronged attack for much of the second half.
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