A fine defensive display helped Atletico secure a 1-0 first leg win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday and in the process they kept their 34th clean sheet in 52 games in all competitions.
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Niguez took on the Bayern defence alone from 40 yards out, dribbled the ball past three more opponents before curling it into the bottom corner with a lovely finish past the diving Manuel Neuer to hand his side the victory.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer noted that Bayern were not playing to their best in the first half. [An opponent] with so many variations, who play as well as they do, could generate a lot of difficulties.
Saul acknowledged the scale of the task facing Diego Simeone’s side in next Tuesday’s return encounter in Munich’s Allianz Arena, but the boyhood Atletico supporter insists his team will first focus on this weekend’s vital La Liga encounter with Rayo Vallecano.
“It’s the most lovely and most important goal I’ve scored”.
He said: “I think Saul’s character helped him to score that lovely goal, it was really handsome”.
Atlético also hit the wood work in the second half, as Fernando Torres nearly doubled the home team’s lead after a rapid counter attack left Bayern chasing. “And it makes us happy for having trusted him, that we were right in signing him”, he said.
He is quoted in Sport as saying: “Seeing Atletico Madrid last night, how they played and how they then defended what they had against a side that is one of the favourites to win the Champions League and is well ahead in the German league”. We’ll have to be more clinical when we play them at home, however.
Guardiola won the Champions League twice in four years with Barcelona, celebrating the first triumph in 2009 with club executives Txiki Begeristain and Ferran Soriano, who left the Spanish side for Manchester City.
4 – Our most prolific goal-scorer this season, Robert Lewandowski, has failed to hit the net in 8 of the last 9 games in the Champions League, away from home.
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Torres had a great chance to make it 2-0 with 15 minutes to go, but his effort crashed against the post. We respect them and we hope for the best for us.
