At a glance
- FC Barcelona have a mountain to climb in the Champions League after losing their quarterfinal first leg tie to Atletico Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday.
- Only one team has managed to overcome such a deficit in the competition’s knockout phase.
- That was Manchester United in 2019, with Marcus Rashford scoring a 94th minute penalty to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain.
Marcus Rashford could be the key to FC Barcelona knocking Atletico Madrid out of the Champions League quarterfinals.
The Catalans have a remontada for the ages to pull off after losing the first leg to Diego Simeone’s side at the Spotify Camp Nou 2-0.
Rashford started the tie in Raphinha’s place, and had a goal ruled offside amid two clear cut chances elsewhere on the evening.
Approaching half time, though, the momentum of the fixture completely shifted. Pau Cubarsi received a red card for bringing down Giuliano Simeone as the last man, and Julian Alvarez scored the resulting free kick.
With Alexander Sorloth doubling the visitors’ lead on 70 minutes, Barca need another comeback in the Metropolitano to advance like those we saw just last Saturday and in 2024/2025.
Does history favour the Blaugrana in Barcelona Vs. Atletico Madrid?
Ronald Araujo believes that his men can do it. But the fact that two-time finalists Atleti haven’t lost a home fixture in the Champions League since 1997 doesn’t bode well for Flick’s troops.
Only one team has managed to overcome a deficit of two goals in the knockout phase as well. Yet the hero of that evening? None other than Rashford himself.
In 2019, his boyhood club Manchester United also lost 0-2 to PSG at Old Trafford in the round of 16. At the Parc des Princes, though, the Red Devils managed to deliver a 3-1 win with Rashford stealing the headlines.
Barca’s left winger on loan from the Mancunians blasted home the 94th minute penalty that took his parent club through on away goals.
A Blaugrana saviour in the Metropolitano with the equaliser in a 2-1 smash-and-grab last weekend, can he be that once more in the same ground to guarantee a berth in the UCL last four?
