Champions League: Atlético de Madrid fails in its visit to Inter Milan's stadium
In the other game, PSV earned a valuable draw against Borussia Dortmund to keep their chances intact.
Inter Milan defeated Atlético de Madrid by the minimum (1-0) in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 thanks to a goal by Marko Arnautovic with just ten minutes left in the game. The Austrian striker capitalized on a defensive error by Rodrigo de Paul and Reinildo to give his team the advantage ahead of the second leg at the Metropolitano stadium on March 13.
Ever since the draw for the round of 16 was made, the duel between the Spanish and Italian teams was predicted to be the most evenly matched of all. And so it was for much of the first game of the tie until, in the last fifteen minutes, Inter Milan began to put more pressure on their opponents and to dominate the game more. Until they found the goal.
The defeat was not the only bad news for Atlético de Madrid. Their star player, Antoine Griezmann, withdrew injured, as did Uruguayan defender José María Giménez.
PSV 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
In the other match of the day, Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at PSV. The German team, a priori favorites, will have to wait for the second leg to try to advance to the quarterfinals.
Donyell Malen, who was playing against his former team, gave Borussia Dortmund the lead in the 24th minute. PSV's response came in the second half, when striker Luuk de Jong did not waste a penalty opportunity and, thus, kept the Dutch team on an equal footing.