Atletico Madrid staged a comeback to defeat Bayern Leverkusen 2-1, with Julio Alvarez netting a decisive late goal that brings the team closer to securing a spot in the last 16.
Alvarez clinched the victory in the dying moments of the match, capitalizing on a pass from Angel Correa while Bayer was pressing for a winning goal and left vulnerable at the back.
Atletico initially allowed Bayer to dominate possession, opting for a deep defensive setup and aiming to counterattack. The situation worsened for Atletico when midfielder Pablo Barrios received a red card after 24 minutes due to a high challenge on Nordi Mukiele, following a VAR review.
Mukiele later assisted Piero Hincapie, who headed Bayer into the lead just before halftime. However, Atletico equalized against the run of play seven minutes into the second half, as Alvarez chased down a long ball, fended off defenders, and scored with his left foot.
With 15 minutes remaining, both teams were reduced to ten men when Hincapie received a second yellow card for a foul on Giuliano Simeone. This created more space on the pitch, allowing Alvarez to score again, bringing Atletico's points tally to 15 from seven matches ahead of their upcoming fixture against Salzburg.
In another match, FC Barcelona secured their place in the last 16 with a thrilling 5-4 victory over Benfica, having been down 4-2 at one point.
Barcelona's goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny endured a challenging first half, as Vangelis Pavlidis netted a hat-trick within the first 30 minutes. Pavlidis opened the scoring just two minutes in following a swift counterattack. After Robert Lewandowski equalized with a penalty in the ninth minute, Szczesny's blunder allowed Pavlidis to score his second. The goalkeeper collided with defender Alejandro Balde while attempting to clear the ball, leaving Pavlidis with an open goal to finish.
He faced a severe penalty for fouling Kerem Akturkoglu, leading to Pavlidis converting the resulting penalty kick.
Benfica's goalkeeper, Anatolii Trubin, became part of a goalkeeping mishap when his clearance struck Raphinha on the head and ricocheted back into his own net, allowing Barcelona to equalize. However, the score quickly shifted to 4-2 when Ronald Araujo inadvertently scored an own goal while attempting to intercept a cross in the 68th minute.
In the 77th minute, Lewandowski converted his second penalty of the match, marking his 19th career penalty in the Champions League, bringing the score to 4-3 after Lamine Yamal was brought down by minimal contact in the Benfica box.
Eric Garcia then found space unmarked to head in a beautiful cross from Pedri in the 86th minute.
Szczesny made a crucial save to thwart Angel Di Maria during injury time, and Barcelona clinched the victory with nearly the final play as Raphinha broke free from his own half to score, despite a strong appeal for a penalty from the Benfica player.
