A late Anthony Elanga equaliser saw Manchester United steal an undeserved draw against a dominant Atletico Madrid side in Wednesday’s Champions League round of 16 first leg clash at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Atletico were in control for the majority of the match, putting on a strong offensive showing in the first half before displaying a defensive masterclass in the second.
The LaLiga champions started the match brightly and it didn’t take them long to find the opening goal.
A bullet header by Joao Felix put the home side in front, leaving a stunned Manchester United to kick-off from the half-way line after only six minutes.
The Red Devils slowly started to settle in the match, controlling the ball a little in the midfield and having a few speculative chances however they couldn’t match Atletico’s tempo for much of the first half.
United escaped danger in the 44th minute after a quick free-kick led to a close range Marcos Llorente header, which bounced off the post.
Ralf Rangnick’s side didn’t take a single touch in their opposition’s penalty area during this time.
In the second half, Atletico set up incredibly defensively and they contained United well, allowing them possession but reducing space to a minimum. This continued for the majority of the 45 minutes, until things turned on their heads in the 80th minute.
A well-placed Bruno Fernandes through ball was met by a sprinting Elanga, who made no mistake as he slotted the ball past Jan Oblak.
Atletico almost salvaged a late winner in the 87th minute, when Antoine Griezmann’s curled shot rattled off the crossbar.
Neither side could find a goal in the dying minutes of the match, and will have to decide who advance into the quarterfinals when they meet at Old Trafford for the reverse fixture.
And in the other Champions League fixture, Dutch giants Ajax held Benfica to a 2-2 draw.
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