Luis Suarez is feeling right at home in Barcelona, and Fernando Torres wasn’t acting like himself in Catalunya.
Those form a reasonable-enough explanation for Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday at Camp Nou in the first leg of the teams’ UEFA Champions League quarterfinal series.
Torres gave Atletico Madrid a surprising lead in the 25th minute when he ran onto Koke’s pass and shot past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Torres normally is mild-mannered, but the goal seemed to have excited him too much. His tackle on Sergio Busquets earned him a second yellow card in under 10 minutes, leaving his team to play with 10 men for the final 65 minutes.
Atletico held Barcelona at bay for the ensuing 30 minutes until Suarez, who was a bystander for most of the first hour, sprung to life and scored from close range.
Suarez needed just 12 more minutes to put Barcelona in front. His powerful header in the 75th minute improved his strike rate this season to a goal per game.
Atletico Madrid will host Barcelona on April 13 at Estadio Vicente Calderon. Suarez likely will occupy center stage that day, while Torres will watch from the stands.
Such is the drama of the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds.
Thumbnail photo via Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press
