Julian Alvarez was a key player in Atlético Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. His free-kick goal at Camp Nou opened the scoring and changed the course of the match.
However, after the match, the Argentine forward surprised everyone by revealing an unexpected detail about his pre-match preparation.
Álvarez’s confession surprises his fans
After Pau Cubarsí was sent off in the 44th minute, just before halftime, Diego Simeone’s team scored their first goal.
Thanks to a free kick that Julián executed perfectly, slotting the ball into the corner, he left the goalkeeper with no chance and put his team ahead. Alexander Sorloth added the second goal to seal the victory in the 74th minute.
However, after the match, Álvarez surprised everyone by revealing that, in training, he hadn’t been able to convert his attempts into goals:
“Yesterday we were practicing free kicks and I hadn’t scored any. In training I took five or six, and didn’t score any,” he revealed. “The important thing was [to score] today,” he added happily.
Thus, an “ineffective” preparation in training did not prevent Álvarez from becoming the star of the game: he was named Player of the Match, and his goal is already shaping up to be one of the best of the season.
In addition, the 26-year-old forward also explained that, at the moment of the kick, he was focused and sensed the ball was going in as soon as he struck it.
The goal was not only decisive for the result, but it also made Julián Atlético’s all-time leading scorer in a single Champions League campaign with a total of nine goals.
Now, looking ahead to the second leg, Atlético Madrid will try to defend their 2-0 lead from the first leg, but this time at home, when they host Barça at the Metropolitano on April 14.
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