The People's Brief with Robbie Kaplan and Edie Windsor

FULL TIME! Leverkusen will take a 1-0 lead to Estadio Vicente Calderon, with a thunderous Calhanoglu strike the only thing between the two sides at the BayArena. Simeone's men went down to 10 men in the second half, thanks to some stupidity from Tiago, and as a result los Colchoneros will presumably be pleased to still be in the tie. That's all that we have time for from Germany, I've been Simon Harrison and I hope to see you again next time.

90' + 2'

Yellow Card Jesús Gámez

90' + 2'

Leverkusen break upfield at pace, before Bellarabi is picked out in the opposition box - but the German is quickly robbed of the ball. The hosts are still searching for the second goal of the night, which would put some much-needed gloss on a fairly professional performance.

90'

Gabi clips in the resulting free kick, with Raul Garcia only able to crane his neck to send a looping header high and wide of the target. There are three minutes of stoppage time.

89'

Yellow Card Stefan Kießling

89'

Yellow Card Fernando Torres

89'

Emotions have spilled over on the field, with Leverkusen's players unhappy with Atleti being awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. Torres and Kiessling get yellow cards for their arguing, with the referee unwilling to tolerate any more from either set of players. Castro also picks up a booking for the original foul.

88'

Yellow Card Gonzalo Castro

87'

SubstitutionHakan CalhanogluJulian Brandt

87'

Raul Garcia manages to win a foul from Kiessling, allowing for Atletico to push out from their deep positions. Schmidt uses the break in play to replace Calhanoglu, with Brandt coming into the fray to fresh up the hosts for the final few minutes.

85'

Leverkusen only have five minutes to close out what would be a good result, but you can't help but think that Atletico would be pleased to lose merely 1-0 after a terrible night. Bellarabi breaks down the right-hand side, before rattling in a cross, but it doesn't fall to anyone! Calhanoglu shoots from the edge of the box moments later, but Miranda makes a good block.

83'

Juanfran attempts to whip a cross in from the right flank, but Wendell charges it down with relative ease. Jesus Gamez takes a long throw from the right-hand side, which Leno doesn't get near due to obstruction by Godin and Raul Garcia! There didn't appear to be much wrong with the Uruguayan's challenge with the German shot-stopper.

81'

Papadopoulos earns his side a free kick due to a boisterous challenge from Torres, as Atletico continue be frustrated. It really hasn't been los Colchoneros' night, with Leverkusen's game plan frustrating their style of play entirely. Even in terms of physicality and fouls the German club have come out on top, Simeone will have to go back to the drawing board for the second leg.

80'

SubstitutionJosip DrmicStefan Kießling

79'

Torres nearly manages to break away and shoot at the other end of the field, but Wendell uses his pace to his advantage and cushions the ball back to Leno. The 10 men of Atletico have merely 10 minutes left on the clock to register what would be a vital away goal.

77'

Big chance missed by Papadopoulos! The big defender is presented with a loose ball deep in the Atleti box, but the Leverkusen man is pressured by Miranda! The Brazilian just about gets a touch on the ball, taking the sting out of the Greece international's shot! Moya collects the scraps.

76'

Yellow/Red Tiago
RED CARD FOR TIAGO! The away side go down to 10 men, with Tiago picking up his second yellow card of the evening! The Portuguese slides in stupidly on the right-hand side, with Bellarabi going absolutely nowhere. Simeone will be positively fuming, that was idiotic at best from one of his most experienced players.

75'

Atletico have the ball in the back of the net, but it won't count! The ball swung out of play, before a flick from Bellarabi allowed for Torres to nod home opportunistically at the back post due to Leno being taken out of the game. The visitors complain, but that was a good decision.

74'

Torres shoots straight at the goalkeeper! The former Chelsea striker can only find Leno's gloves under pressure at the back post, before Leverkusen break with lightning pace! Drmic scampers infield from the left-hand side and into the box, but the Swiss forward's eventual shot is pounced upon by Moya!

73'

With Mandzukic and Torres on the field, Atletico can do little but go long and hope. Raul Garcia is another aerial presence that Simeone has at his disposal, with the hosts having to be careful what fouls they give away at this point. The visitors are really struggling to impose any kind of authority in midfield, they've not had an ounce of control all game.

71'

Leverkusen have the chance to whip the ball into the Atleti penalty area once again, with cheap fouls being given away in poor areas by the visiting side. Calhanoglu tries his luck, with the Turkey international known for the dip and serve he can get on his free-kick efforts. Fortunately for Moya, the ball zips along the turf and straight into his gloves.

69'

Griezmann nearly manages to clip an inch-perfect pass into the path of Torres, but Spahic makes a very timely interception to deny the Spain international. Narrowly over 20 minutes remain for los Colchoneros to grab a vital away goal in this tie.

68'

SubstitutionLars BenderSimon Rolfes

67'

Bender will have to watch his step, as the Leverkusen captain trips over Raul Garcia unintentionally in the centre of the park, giving away another foul. Atleti almost manage to find an equaliser, with Godin and Mandzukic combining inside the box, but Leno gets to the loose ball ahead of the Uruguay international.

65'

Torres is introduced for the away side, as Simeone attempts to roll the dice. Given that Griezmann and Mandzukic have barely touched the ball in the second half, however, the Argentine's third change might have have a great impact on the game. Leverkusen have their tails up and continue to search for their second goal of the evening.

64'

SubstitutionArda TuranFernando Torres

63'

Frustrations rise in the BayArena, with Bender booked for dissent! Son was penalised for a push on Gabi on the edge of the Atleti box, which didn't appear to be a foul, sparking angry reactions from the Leverkusen captain. Schmidt's men continue to stream forward, with los Colchoneros struggling to find their feet since conceding.

62'

Yellow Card Lars Bender

61'

Godin receives a second-half yellow card, despite protesting his innocence. Bender takes a nice touch, before the Uruguayan defender raises his foot dangerously high in an attempted challenge. Leverkusen have a chance to try their luck from a dead ball scenario, which is worked short, before Gamez hacks clear.

60'

Yellow Card Diego Godín

59'

What a way to open the scoring in this match! Moya's net will still be shaking, Calhanoglu hit that with real venom. Atleti win themselves a free kick from the restart which Gabi delivers, and it appears the ball was handled in the box by Wendell! The referee waves away the fierce claims! Leverkusen break, but Son is unable to keep the ball in play at the byline!

58'

Yellow Card Wendell

57'

Assist Karim Bellarabi

57'

Goal Hakan Calhanoglu
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! CALHANOGLU BLASTS THE HOME SIDE INTO THE LEAD! Bellarabi holds up the ball brilliantly on the edge of the box, before rolling a casual backheel roll into the path of his Turkish teammate! After sorting his feet out, the young midfielder cannons a crashing effort into the ceiling of the net with Moya helpless! What a thunderous strike to give Leverkusen the advantage!

55'

Atletico's substitutes are warming up on the sideline, with Simeone only having one more to his name. Raul Garcia launches a long throw into the box, but Spahic climbs all over Mandzukic to head clear. Anywhere else on the pitch and that was a certain foul! Moments later, Raul Garcia steers a tame header into the grasp of Leno.

53'

Drmic drives down the left channel, but Miranda comes across brilliantly to outmuscle the Swiss forward and shepherd the ball behind for a goal kick. Atletico are looking like their usual physical selves now and look willing to contest with Leverkusen.

51'

Cheeky effort from Raul Garcia! Gabi does brilliantly to rob Son of the ball on the halfway line, before releasing the substitute. After spotting Leno out of position, the Spaniard tries to lift an attempt goalwards, but scuffs his effort wide of the target!

50'

Simeone's men have looked more positive since the break and appear more prepared to impose their own robust approach on the game, after Leverkusen had the better of the tough tackles in the first half. Atleti are getting some joy down their right flank, with Wendell not the most defensive of full-backs to test.

48'

Arda is fed down the right-hand side brilliantly by Juanfran, after the right-back received the ball due to a good switch from Gamez. The Turkey international chops inside Spahic, but Wendell recovers well to deny the Atleti man.

47'

Mandzukic wins himself a free kick from Spahic, with the away side able to threaten from a dead ball situation as a result. Gabi whips it in, but Leno rises well to claim, before colliding with Raul Garcia.

46'

We are back underway at the BayArena! Tiago went close to opening the scoring at the end of the first half, with that entertainment hopefully carrying over through the interval! Plenty of time remains for Atletico to grab a vital away goal, Leverkusen will have to be careful not to overextend themselves offensively.

HALF TIME! The scoreline remains 0-0 for the moment, with neither side able to break the deadlock before half time! Leno and Moya have made good saves to protect their own respective clean sheets, with Leverkusen displaying some fast-paced attacking football! Simeone will be happy thus far, but the Argentine coach has already been forced to make two of his three substitutions! Be sure to rejoin us for the second-half action in 10 minutes!

45' + 3'

What a stop from Leno! Mandzukic sees a shot blocked by Hilbert! A back post cross loops into the Croatian's path, but the Leverkusen right-back does his job! Atletico win a corner as a result, with Tiago firing an improvised half volley goalwards! The Leverkusen shot-stopper gets down acrobatically to push the ball to safety!

45' + 2'

Juanfran and Wendell participate in a foot race down the left flank, before the ball enters the penalty area. The Atletico right-back slides in and gets the slightest of touches, with that being very close indeed to a penalty! The delivery is whipped in, with Miranda putting it behind for a second dead ball. The next cross is headed away by Mandzukic with ease.

45'

Bender is penalised for bringing down Raul Garcia with what is a very poorly timed tackle. There are three minutes of stoppage time.

43'

Saul now takes his leave, after failing to recover from that earlier knock, with Simeone's using two of his allocated three substitutions in the first half. Raul Garcia is the midfielder's replacement, with Arda possibly being asked to come out to the left-hand side as a result, but the Turkish wide man should hold his position for now.

42'

SubstitutionSaúlRaúl García

41'

Hilbert tries to overlap down the right-hand side, but Gamez makes a good first contribution to rob the marauding full-back of possession. Leverkusen are moving the ball nicely when pressing upfield, but only Spahic has managed to worry Moya thus far.

39'

Big save from Leno! Arda manages to send a looping effort across goal, with Griezmann only having to nod home from a few yards out to give the visitors the lead! The goalkeeper scampers across well, however, clawing the delivery off the forehead of the Frenchman to ensure that the deadlock remains unbroken.

38'

SubstitutionGuilherme SiqueiraJesús Gámez

38'

Less than 10 minutes remain for Leverkusen to make their first-half pressure count at the BayArena. Gamez is readied for the away side, with Siqueira taking his leave early on. The substitute will hope to have better luck against the pace of Bellarabi.

36'

Yellow Card Kyriakos Papadopoulos

36'

Papadopoulos is given a yellow card for the hosts, for a supposed foul on Mandzukic, despite the Bosnian international doing absolutely nothing wrong. All the former Schalke man can do is laugh, but that decision could prove to be a turning point in this game should he be caught out later in proceedings.

34'

Juanfran tries to work his way down the right, but Spahic is present to hoof a clearance downfield. Leverkusen then try to break themselves, but Saul makes a great recovering tackle to deny Drmic and ensure that Miranda can pick up the scraps for Simeone's men.

32'

Bender sees a shot blocked on the edge of the penalty box! Schmidt's men continue to turn the screw, with Atletico unable to get out of their own half! Leverkusen are looking far better tonight than they have done in recent weeks, that much is certain. Narrowly under a quarter of an hour remains for either side to take the lead before the break.

30'

Saul fires wide! The Spaniard gets involved for the first time since receiving treatment, but can only send a left-footed effort swerving some way wide of the left-hand post! Leno is more than happy to watch it sail beyond his post.

29'

The home side are getting into their stride now! Bellarabi whips in a teasing delivery from the right-hand side, but Moya is able to punch away under severe pressure from Drmic! Schmidt's side are swirling about the final third at real pace, posing los Colchoneros plenty of questions!

27'

That was incredibly close from the Leverkusen captain, with the woodwork probably still shaking! Schmidt's men continue to press, with Hilbert and Bellarabi linking up down the right flank. The latter whips in a testing near-post cross, but Godin hacks clear! Castro then shoots from the edge of the area, but the German midfielder sends the ball horrificially wide!

25'

Saul is helped from the field and looks to still be in pain, but gets back to his feet to figure out whether he's able to continue. Play goes on without him, with Atletico happy to sit deep until they are topped back up to 11 men once again. Spahic unleashes a phenomenal strike from the best part of 30 yards, but cracks the crossbar!

23'

Tiago picks up the first yellow card of the evening, for a cynical trip on Drmic as the Leverkusen striker looked to sprint away into the opposition half. Saul then goes down for the away side, with Wendell sportingly putting the ball out of play. The Spaniard looks to be in some discomfort, with the physios racing onto the field immediately.

22'

Yellow Card Tiago

21'

Atletico win themselves another corner, with Griezmann standing over this one. Leno does just enough to knock the first delivery away, before Miranda sees a shot blocked at the back post! Leverkusen break, with Son set away down the left-hand side, but Gabi recovers well to take control of the situation and angle a clearance down the line.

19'

Good defending from Godin! Hilbert is found by a brilliant diagonal ball from the left-hand side by Wendell, before taking a positive first touch on his chest. The right-back streaks beyond Siqueira, but the Uruguay international is on hand to cover across and ensure that the ball bobbles out for a goal kick.

17'

Mandzukic tries to break down the right-hand side, but is dealt with intelligently by Wendell. The Croatia international and his strike partner have been kept very quiet thus far, with the hosts able to cut off any meaningful service into the Atletico strikeforce. Arda wins a corner on the right-hand side for Atletico, but it is taken short and blocked.

15'

Arda isn't being given any space in the opening stages, with the Turkey international being consistently set upon by the home side's midfielders. Until this game settles down, we are unlikely to see many chances, as possession continues to be lost in the midfield third. Siqueira is forced to make a rushed clearance from eight yards out, after a dangerous ball from the left by Leverkusen makes its way into the box.

13'

Off the line by Mandzukic! A corner is whipped into the near post by Calhanoglu, but flashes through a lot of bodies! Wendell is present at the back post to send a bouncing volley goalwards, but the Croatia international is on hand to blast the danger clear! Moya probably would have got there, but the former Bayern striker had to make sure!

11'

Chances are very few and far between early on, with neither Moya nor Leno having anything to do at all. Pressing in the theme of the opening 10 minutes, with both sides keen to force mistakes in the opposition's play. The hosts have looked a bit more dangerous, getting the ball down and moving it at pace, but Atletico's striking duo always poses a threat regardless of how the game is panning out.

9'

Atletico win themselves a free kick from 35 yards out, which Gabi is able to launch into a well-populated penalty box. It looks for Godin, but the ball is cleared, before Saul fires the rebounding ball goalwards! It strikes Griezmann on its way beyond the far post! Had the Frenchman been able to take that down with a good touch, he would have been in acres of space.

7'

Bender fires wide! The hosts break upfield on a counter attack at real pace, with seven players in red racing onward in search of the game's opening goal. Possession is shifted across the face of the penalty area, before the Germany international hammers an effort harmlessly wide of the left-hand upright!

5'

The hosts try to break down the right-hand side, but a stabbed pass in search of Calhanoglu is easily hoofed clear by Godin. Atletico aren't willing to mince words or take any prisoners early on, with long balls upfield preferred to making mistakes by overcomplicating things at the back.

3'

Leverkusen are keen to press intensely and harry as soon as they lose the ball, with their opposition also looking to get in the faces of their opponents early on. Direct passes upfield are forced, with possession not being treated with too much care in the very embryonic minutes. Los Colchoneros are more than content to sit deep and can show real resilience if their backs are against the wall, however.

1'

We are underway in the first half in Germany! The hosts are in their customary red and black, while Atletico don their away strip of pale silver! The next 90 minutes could have a huge impact on which of these two sides makes their way into the quarter finals!

The two teams make their way out onto the BayArena turf, in front of what is a sell-out crowd this evening! After the Champions League anthem, which we all know and love, we will be just about ready to get underway in Leverkusen!

Atletico substitutes: Oblak, Gimenez, Mario Suarez, Raul Garcia, Jesus Gamez, Fernando Torres, Cani.

Atletico starting line-up (4-4-2): Moya; Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, Guilherme; Arda, Gabi, Tiago, Saul; Griezmann, Mandzukic.

Leverkusen substitutes: Reinartz, Rolfes, Kiessling, Boenisch, Brandt, Kresic, Donati.

Leverkusen starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Leno; Hilbert, Papadopoulos, Spahic, Wendell; Bender, Castro; Bellarabi, Calhanoglu, Son; Drmic.

TEAM NEWS: Koke is the main injury absentee for the away side, with Saul Niguez continuing on the left-hand side of midfield as a result. Simeone opts for the same side which comfortably dispatched of Almeria 3-0 last time out, with Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic continuing their excellent partnership up top. Jose Maria Gimenez has to take a seat on the bench once again, with Fernando Torres, Raul Garcia and Cani providing real experience should the visitors need it.

TEAM NEWS: Omer Toprak is unavailable due to suspension for the hosts, meaning that Kyriakos Papadopoulos deputises at the heart of the Bayer defence alongside the experience Emir Spahic. Roberto Hilbert slots in at right-back, with Tin Jedvaj missing due to injury, while Lars Bender recovers in time to be deployed in defensive midfield. Heung-Min Son is out on the left wing, after bagging a hat-trick against Wolfsburg, while Robbie Kruse isn't even fit enough for the bench. Josip Drmic's movement will be something for Atletico to watch up top, with Karim Bellarabi having faith to repay after recently signing a new contract.

I'm Simon Harrison and I will be keeping you up to date with all of the action from the BayArena, as the hosts attempt to enjoy a professional performance. Denying los Colchoneros an away goal will be the key, but Schmidt's side are known to consider attack to be the best form of defence. Both outfits have proven themselves to be hard to break down off the ball, in respective domestic matches against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but tonight one of them will need to take control.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of some of tonight's Champions League action, as last year's finalists Atletico Madrid travel to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen! The hosts sit in sixth place in the Bundesliga, after patchy recent form, with Roger Schmidt failing to recapture the sparkle which saw his side head out as one of the division's early front runners. Diego Simeone, meanwhile, has ensured that his outfit have only suffered defeat one in this year's competition, coming in the form of a shock 1-0 loss against Olympiakos.