MADRID: Atletico Madrid got nearly everything they wanted against Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday except for the win.

Atletico kept old foe Cristiano Ronaldo in check and got a stellar performance from his Portugal team-mate Joao Felix, but a defensive lapse near the end meant Diego Simeone’s team had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the round of 16.

Felix, once touted as the next Ronaldo, was the most dangerous forward and put the hosts ahead with a diving header seven minutes into the match.

But substitute Anthony Elanga equalised in the 80th shortly after coming off the bench in one of the few times the Atletico defence broke down racing onto a Bruno Fernandes through ball and applying a cool finish to earn United a draw that felt like a victory.

“I think it was my first touch,” said Elanga, who became United’s youngest-ever scorer in the knockout stage at 19 years, 302 days. “I’ve dreamt of moments like this, scoring in the Champions League against a top team like Atletico Madrid.”

Atletico were in control during most of the match at the Wanda Metropolitano and twice hit the crossbar, including with an 86th-minute shot by Antoine Griezmann.

“They took advantage of a mistake in what was a very good game for us,” Simeone said. “We did almost everything right the entire match. We couldn’t win but I’m happy with how we played and it’s all wide open for the second game.”

The return leg will be on March 15 in England.

The evening’s other round-of-16 match also ended in a draw, 2-2 between Benfica and Ajax Amsterdam in Portugal as Sebastien Haller kept up his remarkable scoring record in this season’s Champions League, finding the target at the right end shortly after putting through his own net.

Haller’s 26th-minute own goal cancelled out Dusan Tadic’s opener for the Dutch champions at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, but the Ivory Coast striker then put Ajax back in front just three minutes later.

It was not enough for Erik ten Hag’s side to win the game, as Ukraine international Roman Yaremchuk came off the bench in the second half to earn Benfica a deserved draw and a boost to their hopes in the second leg next month.

“We let it slip unnecessarily,” Ten Hag said, lamenting his team’s failure to capitalise on chances that could have put the match out of Benfica’s reach. “We didn’t convert chances.”

UNITED ESCAPE

United, looking disjointed and lacking spark, were cornered from the start by a relentless Atleti, who opened the scoring with a brilliant header by Felix from Renan Lodi’s cross.

Ronaldo, who ended Atletico’s title hopes in the Champions League several times when he was with crosstown rivals Real Madrid, struggled throughout the match and was visibly frustrated. Isolated up front, he was booed by the Atltico fans nearly every time he touched the ball at the Metropolitano.

With the 37-year-old not being able to connect with his team-mates, United seemed beaten until Elanga broke free to score United’s 500th goal in the competition previously known as the European Cup.

“Looking at the game, the way it was, we have to feel really happy with the result,” United manager Ralf Rangnick told a news conference.

“After the performance in the first half it could only get better. What we played in the first half I still can’t believe it. We played without conviction and the necessary aggression against the ball. That’s why we were really struggling.”

While United will breathe a sigh of relief at the result, this was another performance to prompt serious concerns about their progress and direction under interim coach Rangnick.

In the first half, they failed to register a single touch in the Atletico Madrid box, the first time that has happened to a United side in the Champions League since at least 2005.

“We are a bit disappointed, we didn’t deserve a draw,” Atletico defender Jose Maria Gimnez said. “We did everything we had to do to win. We defended well and created scoring chances in attack. They scored on a casual goal and we didn’t deserve that.”

PROLIFIC HALLER

Haller can’t stop scoring in the Champions League. He now has 11 goals in seven matches for Ajax and one for Benfica.

The prolific Ivory Coast striker’s 11 goals for Ajax in his first seven Champions League matches are the highest tally ever by a debutant in Europe’s top club competition.

But it was not enough to secure Ajax’s seventh straight Champions League victory of the season.

Captain Tadic put Ajax ahead in the 18th minute, placing a volley past Odisseas Vlachodimos in the Benfica goal after a cross from the right by Noussair Mazraoui, who had started the move by winning the ball on right from Alejandro Grimaldo.

Haller deflected a hard, low cross by former Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen into his own net to bring the scores level but made amends when he tapped home a rebound to continue his scoring streak.

Yaremchuk’s second-half header ensured a draw for the hosts and with UEFA having abolished the away goals rule in Europe, the tie remains firmly in the balance going into the return leg in Amsterdam on March 15.

“We are a bit frustrated. We could and should have done better and we are a bit disappointed to leave here having drawn 2-2,” Haller told French broadcaster Canal Plus.

Of his own goal, he added: “It’s not the best feeling, especially as it gave them the equaliser and gave them a lift. It was a blow to our morale but it is our job to remain focused, to not let our heads go down in such a situation.”

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2022