Stuttgart held 1-1 by ten-man Atl. Madrid at the MHPArena
Jamie Leweling's opener was cancelled out by Julián Álvarez, and Stuttgart could not find a winner after Morten Hjulmand's 64th-minute red card.
By Harvey Watkins,
Stuttgart and Atl. Madrid drew 1-1 at the MHPArena on Tuesday night in the third round of Champions League matches. The detail that shapes any reading of the game is the dismissal of Morten Hjulmand with 64 minutes played. From then on Atl. Madrid were a man short. Stuttgart had the remainder of the match to turn that advantage into a goal, and they did not manage it.
The goals either side of half-time
Jamie Leweling gave Stuttgart the lead in the 36th minute. That was the only goal of the first half, and the hosts went in at the interval in front.
The lead did not last long into the second period. Julián Álvarez equalised for Atl. Madrid in the 47th minute, two minutes after the restart. Whatever Stuttgart had built over the first 45 minutes was undone almost immediately. The match was level again before the second half had properly settled.
Hjulmand's red card
Hjulmand was sent off in the 64th minute. It was a straight red rather than a second booking, so Atl. Madrid lost him in one moment rather than through an accumulation of fouls.
That left Stuttgart with 26 minutes of normal time against ten men, with the scores level. In that position the side with the extra player is usually expected to press for a winner. The scoreline shows that no further goal came. Stuttgart did not add to Leweling's strike, and Atl. Madrid held on to the point Álvarez's goal had earned them.
How to read the draw
On the bare outline, there is a case for either side feeling the result went against them.
Stuttgart led at half-time, played the final quarter of the match with a numerical advantage, and still finished level. From their side, that looks like an opportunity that went unused. Taking the lead at home and then playing against ten men is a strong position, and they left with a draw.
Atl. Madrid can view it differently. They came from behind, scored quickly after the break to do so, and then kept the score where it was for the rest of the match after losing a player. Holding out a draw away from home with ten men is not a small thing, whatever the circumstances of the dismissal.
Which of those readings is closer to the truth depends on what happened in those final 26 minutes, and a scoreline cannot tell us that. It is possible Stuttgart created plenty and were denied. It is equally possible the extra man made little practical difference. The result alone does not settle it, and it would be a stretch to claim otherwise.
The short version
- Score: Stuttgart 1-1 Atl. Madrid
- Stuttgart: Jamie Leweling, 36 minutes
- Atl. Madrid: Julián Álvarez, 47 minutes
- Sent off: Morten Hjulmand (Atl. Madrid), 64 minutes, straight red
What can be said with confidence is that the game turned on a short spell either side of half-time, and that the red card changed the balance without changing the score. Stuttgart will look at the final stretch as the part that got away. Atl. Madrid will look at the same stretch as the part they saw through.