Berlin, 5 March 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Holders Real Madrid prevailed 2-1 against cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday, while Arsenal thrashed PSV 7-1.

Madrid took the early lead in the fourth minute through Rodrygo, but Julian Alvarez levelled for Atletico with a stunning shot in the 32nd.

The record Champions League winners, however, had the final word as Brahim Diaz curled the winner into the net in the 55th.

Captain Martin Ødegaard scored a brace as Arsenal were a very unpleasant guest at PSV. Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino gave the Premier League team a 3-0 lead in the first 30 minutes.

Noa Lang pulled one back for PSV before the break but Ødegaard's efforts in the 47th and 73rd plus goals from Leandro Trossard and Ricardo Calafiori had the Gunners very close to the quarter-finals.

In the other late game, Borussia Dortmund and Lille played out a 1-1 draw. Earlier, Aston Villa claimed a 3-1 away win against Club Brugge.

Los Blancos win first leg of Madrid derby

The second leg of the Madrid derby next week is poised to be an intense game, but for now Real will celebrate the narrow advantage.

Rodrygo collected the ball and rampaged inside the penalty area to find the far corner and break the deadlock for Madrid with only four minutes played.

Julian Alvarez beat Eduardo Camavinga and curled a stunning shot into the goal from the edge of the box to equalize in the 32nd and leave it all open in the second half.

But Madrid eventually got their winner. Diaz was surrounded by Atletico players, but found his way through them to strike a lovely finish into the net.

Los Blancos could have taken a bigger advantage into the second leg, but Vinicius Junior couldn't complete Kylian Mbappe's pass from close range and Jan Oblak saved Luka Modric's effort in the rebound.

"They scored their goals at the right moments. At times, we had control of the match. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. There is a one-goal difference and there are (at least) 90 minutes left in front of our people at home," Alvarez told Movistar.

Arsenal's job almost done

The second leg in London will be a formality for Arsenal after the empathic 7-1 win at PSV.

It looked like things could be a bit harder after Declan Rice had a goal ruled out in the 12th and Ismael Saibari hit the crossbar and missed the breakthrough for PSV in the 16th.

But former PSV player Timber kicked things off for Arsenal with a powerful header in the 18th before Myles Lewis-Skelly did some fine footwork and found Nwaneri, who hit the Gunners' second high into the net in the 21st.

Arsenal had a 3-0 lead after PSV saw a bit of a mess inside their box and failed to clear the ball, which fell for Merino to slot into the bottom corner in the 31st.

Lang scored from the spot in the 43rd aiming to get PSV back in the game, but hopes didn't last long as Ødegaard tapped in a fourth for Arsenal early in the second half.

Trossard added his name to the scoresheet in the 48th, while Ødegaard completed his brace in the 73rd. At this point, many PSV fans decided to leave the stadium, but Arsenal kept it going as substitute Calafiori called it a day in the 85th.

"Massive performance, proud of the guys we showed we are capable of a lot and put ourselves in a good position for next week," Timber told broadcasters Prime Video.

Rice added: "We've been playing like this all season. We feel we've been playing well as a team sometimes we score five sometimes two sometimes we don't score but tonight we did well."

Dortmund held at home

Last year's finalists Dortmund set their sights on a home win as Karim Adeyemi collected the ball to break the deadlock in the 22nd with a first-time strike.

But Lille had a spirited response in the second half and took a deserved equalizer in the 68th. Jonathan David found the onrushing Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, who was off balance but managed to find the goal.

"The 1-1 draw has put us in a very good position for the second leg. But we will have to deliver a very big game at home if we want to reach the quarter-finals," Lille coach Bruno Génésio said.

In the early game, Aston Villa took the lead in the third minute through Leon Bailey's half-volley, but hosts Brugge levelled thanks to Maxim De Cuyper in the 12th.

Villa, however, were again ahead after Brandon Mechele slid to block Morgan Rogers' low cross but diverted the ball into his own net in the 82nd.

Villa still had time to extend their advantage ahead of the second leg next week as Marco Asensio scored from the spot in the 88th.

There's more Champions League action on Wednesday with Feyenoord v Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain v Liverpool, Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica v Barcelona.

Photo: EPA