Atletico Madrid scored twice after FC Barcelona were reduced to 10 men to secure a 2-0 away win in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.

A superb free kick from Julián Álvarez just before halftime and a second-half goal by Alexander Sørloth handed coach Diego Simeone his first win at Camp Nou since taking charge 15 years ago.

“I don't think my Atleti had ever won at Camp Nou,” Simeone said. “They're arguably the best team in Europe, along with Paris (PSG) and Bayern (Munich). Through good teamwork, we were able to capitalize on key moments in the match.”

Barcelona suffered a major setback just before the break when defender Pau Cubarsí was sent off for fouling Giuliano Simeone as he raced clear on goal. The referee upgraded an initial yellow card to red after a video review.

Moments later, Álvarez curled the resulting free kick past goalkeeper Joan García to give Atletico the lead in the 45th minute.

Despite being a man down, Barcelona pushed forward in the second half, with Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford leading the charge.

However, Atletico sealed the win when substitute Sørloth shrugged off Gerard Martín and converted a cross from Matteo Ruggeri with 20 minutes remaining.

Barcelona, five-time European champions, must now overturn the deficit in Madrid next week to keep alive their hopes of reaching a first semifinal since 2017.

“We gave it our all, but it wasn't to be,” Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo said. “But this team can turn this around. I am convinced of it.”

Atletico remained disciplined defensively and made the most of limited chances, scoring twice from just a handful of attempts while withstanding sustained Barcelona pressure.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Liverpool FC 2-0 in their first-leg quarterfinal. On Tuesday, Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 2-1, while Arsenal FC edged Sporting CP 1-0.