Real Madrid made an important step towards the quarter-finals of the Champions League after its precious 1-0 victory over its Italian host Atalanta, while Manchester City returned with an important victory from the German stadium, Borussia Moenchengladbach, 2-0.
And within the last first-leg match of the Champions League final, Atalanta was forced to play with ten men after his Swiss player Remo Frelier was sent off in the 18th minute.
Controversial red card. @ DrT_AlJalahmah
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- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) February 24, 2021
Real Madrid benefited from the numerical shortage in the ranks of its opponent, after his French player Ferland Mendy scored the only goal of the match in the 86th minute, with a wonderful shot from outside the penalty area.
The royal club fought today’s meeting, missing many of its essential elements, such as French striker Karim Benzema, veteran defender Sergio Ramos and Belgian winger Eden Hazard.
Coach Zinedine Zidane is seeking to recover a number of injured before the second leg, scheduled for March 16, to withstand Atlanta and compensate for the absence of the punishing Casemiro, midfield.
Real Madrid is looking forward to continuing its journey in the tournament, which holds the record for number of wins with 13 titles.
On the other hand, Manchester City continued its wonderful start this season and put ahead in the quarter-finals of the competition by winning 2-0 at Borussia Monchengladbach.
The match was held today at the "Puskas Arena" in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, as a neutral stadium due to the restrictions imposed on travel in Germany in light of the outbreak of the new Corona virus.
Manchester City did not find much difficulty in achieving a victory over Monchengladbach, as the English team is close to qualifying for a big step before the second leg on 16 March.
Manchester City ended the first half in his favor with a goal scored by Portuguese Bernardo Silva in the 29th minute, and Brazilian Gabriel Jesus added in the 65th minute.
Manchester City continued its brilliant career this season, and the team maintained its record free of defeats in the last 26 games, knowing that its victory today is its 23rd in these matches against three draws.
Today, Manchester City won its nineteenth consecutive victory in various tournaments.
The team currently tops the Premier League table and appears qualified to win the championship for the third time in the last four seasons.
City coach Pep Guardiola is still in the search for regaining the European title since he was crowned for the second time with Barcelona a decade ago.
Guardiola and Manchester City bid farewell to the quarter-finals in the past three seasons in a row.