Atlético kept old foe Cristiano Ronaldo in check and got a stellar performance from his Portugal teammate João Félix, but a defensive lapse near the end meant Diego Simeone’s team had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the round of 16.
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Atlético Madrid got nearly everything it wanted against Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday — except for the win.
Atlético kept old foe Cristiano Ronaldo in check and got a stellar performance from his Portugal teammate João Félix, but a defensive lapse near the end meant Diego Simeone’s team had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the round of 16.
Félix — once touted as the next Ronaldo — was the most dangerous forward and put the hosts ahead with a diving header seven minutes into the match, but substitute Anthony Elanga equalized in the 80th shortly after coming off the bench in one of the few times the Atlético defense broke down.
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“I think it was my first touch,” said Elanga, who became United’s youngest-ever scorer in the knockout stage at 19 years, 302 days. “I’ve dreamt of moments like this, scoring in the Champions League against a top team like Atlético Madrid.”
Atlético was in control during most of the match at the Wanda Metropolitano and twice hit the crossbar, including with an 86th-minute shot by Antoine Griezmann.
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“They took advantage of a mistake in what was a very good game for us,” Simeone said. “We did almost everything right the entire match. We couldn’t win but I’m happy with how we played and it’s all wide open for the second game.”
The return leg will be on March 15 in England.
In the other round-of-16 match Wednesday, Benfica and Ajax drew 2-2 in Portugal.
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