Atletico Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig in their Champions League opener, thanks to a last-minute goal by Jose Maria Gimenez. The match, held in Madrid on Thursday, saw Atletico make a dramatic comeback after falling behind early.
Leipzig took the lead just four minutes in when Benjamin Sesko capitalized on a rebound, heading the ball past Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak after his initial shot was blocked. The 21-year-old Slovenian forward had been inches away from scoring moments earlier, narrowly missing a cross from David Raum.
Atletico Madrid equalized in the 28th minute through Antoine Griezmann, who converted a shot from 12 yards. Before that, Angel Correa’s header had been ruled out as it failed to cross the goal line.
Leipzig continued to push forward, with Sesko nearly scoring a second after connecting with a free-kick from Xavi Simons. However, the ball was deflected out for a corner. The German side had further chances in the second half, with Simons shooting over the bar in the 72nd minute and Yussuf Poulsen missing a header five minutes later.
The decisive moment came in the 90th minute when Griezmann’s chipped effort from the edge of the box found Gimenez, who headed it past Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi to seal the win for Atletico.
The result marked Leipzig’s first defeat in 17 games across all competitions, a run that had stretched back to February. It was also a reversal of the teams’ previous encounter in the 2019-20 quarter-finals when Leipzig had won 2-1.
Leipzig now faces a challenging Champions League schedule, with upcoming home matches in October against Juventus and Liverpool.
