Atlético Madrid earns first Champions League win with 2-0 over Manchester United
In matchday two of the Champions League at the Metropolitano, Atlético Madrid beat Manchester United 2-0 thanks to an early goal and a second-half finish after Lenny Yero was sent off.
Atlético Madrid recorded its first victory in the group stage of the Champions League by beating visitors Manchester United 2-0 on the evening of Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at the Metropolitano in Madrid in matchday two.
The hosts opened the scoring in under a minute, after Alex Baena surged down the left and delivered a cross to Pablo Barrios, whose shot deflected off defender Aidan Heven and into the net.
Atlético tried to double the lead before and after the interval: a free kick from Alex Grimaldo struck the frame of the goal, a Jonny Cardoso goal was ruled out after a VAR review for a handball by Marcos Llorente at the start of the move, and Julián Álvarez's shot hit the post early in the second half.
Manchester United missed several chances to equalize, including two attempts by Bryan Mbeumo—one went narrowly wide and the other was saved by Jan Oblak. Captain Bruno Fernandes also missed a one-on-one with the goalkeeper before one of his shots struck the crossbar.
The turning point came in the 74th minute when the referee showed a straight red card to French defender Lenny Yero after consulting the review monitor for stopping Jonathan David's run toward goal, a decision many described as harsh.
Atlético quickly took advantage of the numerical advantage: in the 79th minute goalkeeper Seni Lamins saved a David shot following a pass from Grimaldo, but the ball fell to Ademola Lookman, who slotted it into the net to secure his team's victory.
The result moved Atlético to three points in 11th place, after their opening defeat to Liverpool, while Manchester United also remained on three points, placed seventh on goal difference.
The defeat piled more pressure on Manchester United, who are winless in five matches, after drawing 1-1 with Tottenham in the league last Saturday. Manager Michael Carrick is facing criticism, and defender Lisandro Martínez publicly criticized the club's management over what he described as weak summer signings.
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