The hero in Atletico's hard fought win happened to be supremely talented Portuguese winger Joao Felix who scored a late winner in the 85th minute of the game to give the Spanish side a 2-1 win.
Atletico's win over RB Salzburg meant they earned their first points of the season in Europe's premier club tournament. The Diego Simeone coached-side had come into the game on the back of 0-4 thrashing by German powerhouse Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich stayed at the pole position in the Group A standings after beating Lokomotiv Moscow 2-1.
Here is how the UEFA Champions League group fixture between Atletico Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg played out
It was the hosts who opened the scoring with Marcus Llorente's power packed shot finding the back of the net in the 29th minute. However, RB Salzburg not only drew level but also took the lead with goals from Szoboszlai and and Berisha in the 40th and 47th minutes of the match.
Felix, who almost scored an equalizer with his acrobatic volley missing the goal by a whisker only to hit the crossbar in the first half, did not waste a second opportunity as had equalized from close range in the 52nd.
Hailed by many soccer pundits in Portugal as the new Cristiano Ronaldo, Félix arrived in Atletico from Portuguese club Benfica last season as French striker Antoine Griezmann’s replacement but did not live up to his expectations early in the season.
With the opening two rounds of game over in the Group stages of the marquee European football competition, Atlético travel to take on Lokomotiv Moscow and Salzburg will hosts German giants Bayern Munich
Here is what the coaches had to say after the culmination of the game
“He will keep improving,” Simeone said. “With João Félix playing well, our team will be a lot more competitive.”
“It’s tough to come away with just one point from six in our first two games," Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch said. “We’ve deserved more but we can take pride from how we’ve played.”
“It was a great match by the whole team,” Félix said. “We are happy, we played well. If we continue like this the results will come.”