Julian Alvarez had waited all season for a goal. It arrived 80 seconds into the second half in Stuttgart, and it dragged ten-man Atletico Madrid back from a goal down to a 1-1 draw that Diego Simeone's side probably had to scrape for.
Alvarez spent the summer in transfer limbo as Barcelona tried to tempt him away from Atletico, who refused to sell to their La Liga rivals. Since then the Argentina forward had gone without scoring for his club. Here he finally ended the wait with a lovely sweeping finish.
Stuttgart on top before the break
The first half belonged to the Germans. Stuttgart had won their opening two games in the competition, and they played like a team that expected a third. They created a string of chances and wasted most of them, which meant they only went ahead in the 36th minute. Jamie Leweling collected the ball on the edge of the area and struck a fine low shot to give them a deserved lead at the break.
Angelo Stiller was impressive throughout in midfield for the home side, and the Atletico defence spent most of the half chasing shadows.
Lookman makes the difference
Simeone made a change at half-time and it worked almost at once. Ademola Lookman came on, found Alvarez unmarked in the area, and the forward swept the ball in to level the game just over a minute after the restart. For a while Atletico looked as though they might take control.
Then Morten Hjulmand made a reckless challenge on Stiller and was sent off in the 64th minute. That left Atletico with ten men for the final 26 minutes.
Atletico hang on
Stuttgart pushed hard for a winner, and the best chance fell to defender Jeff Chabot, who headed wide from a Maximilian Mittelstadt corner. That was as close as they came. Atletico held out, which for a team that had been outplayed for long spells of the match felt like a point earned the hard way.
For Alvarez, the relief will be obvious. For Stuttgart, it is two points dropped at home against a side reduced to ten men.
Match facts: Stuttgart 1-1 Atletico Madrid, UEFA Champions League league phase. Stuttgart goal: Jamie Leweling (36th minute). Atletico Madrid goal: Julian Alvarez (80 seconds into the second half). Red card: Morten Hjulmand, Atletico Madrid (64th minute). Source: BBC Sport.
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