Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool score: Reigning Champions League winners suffer rare defeat in first leg

Feb 18, 2020 at 5:22 pm ET • 1 min read

Liverpool suffered its second defeat of the season on Tuesday, falling 1-0 at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of a Champions League round of 16 clash. Playing at the Wanda Metropolitano, where they won the UCL nine months ago, the Reds could not beat Atleti's talented, in-sync defense as Saul Niguez scored the winner in the opening minutes.

On a corner kick, a loose ball found the Spanish midfielder who beat Alisson with a well-timed shot:

Liverpool didn't record a single shot on goal in the entire match and now is forced to put on a fine display in the return leg next month at home to advance. The deficit is a whole lot more manageable than last season's Champions League semifinals where Liverpool lost 3-0 at Barca and then won 4-0 at home, but it was an overall performance for the Reds that left plenty to be desired. Atleti's double teams and pressure gave Jurgen Klopp's team several problems all night long.

As for Atletico, this was a fantastic result that comes after a below-average stretch. Less than a month ago Atleti was eliminated in the Copa del Rey by third division side Cultural Leonesa, but this result should give the team plenty of confidence heading to Anfield.

The second leg -- set for March 11 -- will still see Liverpool enter as the favorite, but just one goal from Atletico would force Liverpool to need three against a defense that hasn't conceded that many once this season. 

Atletico Madrid 1, Liverpool 0 (FT)