Julián Álvarez was once again the star of the show in the Champions League with a spectacular free-kick goal in Atlético Madrid’s 2-0 victory over FC Barcelona.
His goal in the final minute of the first half not only opened the scoring but has also been the talk of the town due to its precision and its resemblance to that of his Argentina national teammate, Lionel Messi, whom he admitted to being inspired by.
Álvarez revealed the secret behind his stunning goal against Barça
The play that led to Julián’s goal began after Pau Cubarsí was sent off in the 44th minute, leaving the Catalan team with ten players. This gave Atlético a valuable opportunity to break the deadlock, and Álvarez did not miss.
The Argentine forward curled a shot over the wall that nestled into the left corner of goalkeeper Joan García’s net, marking his ninth goal in the competition. Alexander Sorloth added the second goal to seal the victory in the 74th minute.
After the match, Julián revealed that his technique for taking these shots has been improving and evolving as he observes and learns from the captain of the Argentine national team:
“When I’m with the national team, I always take time to watch how he does it, and then I try to use his technique in training and games here,” he confessed.
The truth is that his goal reminded soccer fans and analysts of Messi’s iconic goal against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, also at Camp Nou. “I’ve seen that goal several times; they show it often. I wasn’t sure it had been there, in that net,” he said.
In fact, “La Araña” also revealed that during pre-match training sessions he had practiced, taking “5 or 6 free kicks,” but had failed to score on any occasion. “The important thing was to score today,” he said happily upon seeing the results of his perseverance.
With this goal, in addition to cementing his status as one of the key figures on Cholo Simeone’s team, he gave Atlético Madrid the advantage heading into the second leg, which they will play at home when they host Barça at the Metropolitano on April 14.
Meanwhile, Julián and Lionel could be preparing to defend the title they won in Qatar 2022 if Messi ultimately decides to participate in the tournament. Argentina will lead Group J, which also includes Austria, Algeria, and Jordan, and will make its debut on Tuesday, June 16, at Kansas City Stadium against Algeria.
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