VfB Stuttgart were held 1-1 by ten-man Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night, Julián Álvarez cancelling out Jamie Leweling's first-half opener two minutes after half-time. Morten Hjulmand's straight red card on 64 minutes left Diego Simeone's side a man down for the final half-hour, but Jan Oblak's saves preserved a point that keeps Stuttgart unbeaten and third in the league phase.
Leweling rewards Stuttgart's fast start
Sebastian Hoeneß's side began the night as one of the league phase's nine perfect teams, after wins over Viking and Slovan Bratislava, and they played like it. Stuttgart dominated the first half, out-shooting the visitors, and Oblak was already busy before Leweling broke through on 36 minutes for 1-0. Atlético, who arrived on a run of six straight wins in all competitions, were relieved to reach the interval only a goal down.
The hosts' midfield set the tempo throughout. Angelo Stiller dictated possession, Bilal El Khannouss probed between the lines and Deniz Undav's movement dragged Atlético's centre-backs into areas they did not want to visit. Chris Führich had already tested Oblak from distance before Leweling's breakthrough, and the only surprise at half-time was that Stuttgart's dominance — they finished the half with four shots on target to one — had produced a single goal.
Simeone acted at the break, sending on Ademola Lookman for Jonathan David, and the change paid off within two minutes. Lookman created the equaliser and Álvarez finished it on 47 minutes — the latest big European night for a forward whose impact at this club was foreshadowed in Atlético's 2-0 win over Manchester United on Matchday 2, when Lookman was also central.
Red card, siege, and Oblak stands firm
The game turned again on 64 minutes when Hjulmand was shown a straight red card, leaving Atlético to defend their box with ten men for more than 25 minutes. Stuttgart threw everything at the siege — 17 shots to 10 across the night, nine corners — but Oblak finished with five saves and the visitors' back line, reinforced by Robin Le Normand, refused to break, as The Times' live coverage of the late window recorded. Maximilian Mittelstädt's yellow was Stuttgart's only card; the hosts simply could not find the winner their pressure deserved.
So what: Stuttgart stay third, Atlético dig in
Stuttgart move to seven points from three matches — two wins and this draw — and sit third in the league phase, inside the automatic last-16 places, a remarkable position for Hoeneß's young side with five games left. Atlético reach four points (a defeat at Anfield, the United win and this draw) and remain in the play-off pack, with the full picture in the updated league-phase table.
There is also a lasting cost for the visitors: Hjulmand's straight red card brings a suspension that will rule the Dane out of Atlético's next league-phase match, removing Simeone's first-choice midfield anchor at exactly the stage of the campaign when the fixtures tighten. Stuttgart, by contrast, take a fully fit and increasingly confident squad into Matchday 4 — and on this evidence, nobody will relish a trip to the MHP Arena.
For Simeone, the point will feel like three: a goal down and a man down away to the form team of the league phase is precisely the scenario his sides are built to survive. Wednesday's card, headlined by Bayern Munich against Arsenal, will decide whether Stuttgart's third place survives the week.
Beyond the Final Whistle: two teams left the MHP Arena believing they should have won, and both had a case. Stuttgart's first half was superb and their failure to kill the game cost them; Atlético's resilience, from Lookman's instant impact to Oblak's wall, was championship-grade defending of a point. Hjulmand's red changed everything and nearly nothing — with ten men, Simeone's side were exactly who they have always been. Did Stuttgart throw this away, or did Atlético earn it? Let us know in the comments.
