Champions League, Manchester City beat Atletico Madrid: Records broken
Manchester City found a way past a defiant Atletico Madrid defense to clinch a 1-0 win in the Champions League quarter-final first leg tie at the Etihad. City were left frustrated for 70 minutes before Kevin De Bruyne netted home. Credit should go to Phil Foden, who had just come on as a substitute. Meanwhile, Liverpool beat Benfica 3-1 away in Portugal.
City overcome a stubborn Atletico side
Atletico defended well and kept City out, who had no shots on target in the first half. At the hour-mark, City tested Jan Oblak just once before KDB was fed by Foden in the 71st minute. He made no mistake and slotted the ball into the net. Atletico had no shots on goal, besides failing to gain a single corner.
De Bruyne shines for Man City
In his last eight home games in all competitions, De Bruyne has now had 11 goal contributions. This was eighth goal during this run. He also has three assists. As per Squawka, KDB has now scored his maiden Champions League goal since April 2021. The Belgian now has 80 goals for City in 297 appearances, including 13 this season.
Unwanted record for Atletico
Atletico failed to register a single shot in the first half versus Man City. As per Opta, this the first time they've had zero shots in the first half of a Champions League match since game-by-game shot data was available for the competition.
Liverpool have one leg in the semis
Liverpool gained a crucial 3-1 win over Benfica in the UCL quarter-final first leg tie. Goals from Ibrahima Konate and Sadio Mane saw the Reds go 2-0 up in a dominating first-half show. Early in the second half, Darwin Nunez pulled a goal back. However, Liverpool made it 3-1 late on with a goal from new signing Luis Diaz.
Notable numbers for City
City have won each of their last five Champions League first leg ties, beating Gladbach, Dortmund, PSG, Sporting, and now Atletico. As per Squawka, Pep Guardiola has won more Champions League knockout matches with City (15) as compared with former club Barcelona (14). However, he won two UCL trophies with the Spanish club.