Atletico Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: 2016 Champions League Match Score, Reaction

Atletico Madrid produced a resolute performance as they overcame Bayern Munich 1-0 at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Yannick Carrasco gave the hosts the lead in the first half as Atletico did what they do best, shutting down their opponents at every turn and defending magnificently, though Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty kick in the second half.

After an underwhelming start to the game, Fernando Torres almost managed to capitalise on a mistake by Bayern's Javi Martinez. The striker burst forward after robbing him of possession, but the defender was able to recover and block his shot.

Bayern had an excellent chance of their own when Thiago Alcantara lofted the ball deftly over Atletico's back line to Thomas Muller, whose volley from seven yards out was denied by a wonderful reaction from Jan Oblak.

La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney and Goal's Ives Galarcep praised the stopper:

At the other end, Manuel Neuer showed his own credentials when Carrasco evaded two defenders and unleashed a venomous strike on goal, but the German was equal to it.

The hosts should have taken the lead midway through the half, when Torres was presented with a free header after a corner was flicked on to him at the back post, but the forward could only guide his effort to the post from three yards out.

Torres had another chance when Koke picked him out with a defence-splitting pass, but despite controlling it well, he was unable to hit the target with his subsequent attempt.

Atletico were still able to take a deserved lead, though, when Carrasco latched on to a ball from Griezmann, burst forward and fired a low, hard strike in from the edge of the area.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Gaffney and sports journalist Jonas Giaever admired the Belgian's marvellous finish:

After the break, Muller headed into the side netting off a corner as Bayern sought to regain a foothold in the contest, while David Alaba stung Oblak's palms with a drive of his own.

Atletico kept the Bundesliga champions contained, though, thanks to their impressive work as they closed down space, limiting their opponents' ability to put moves together in the final third.

BeIN Sports' David Cartlidge hailed their effort:

When the Bavarians were able to create an opportunity through a dangerous cross from Xabi Alonso, the quiet Robert Lewandowski uncharacteristically missed the target with his head from 10 yards out.

Soon after, Atletico earned a penalty when Arturo Vidal felled Filipe Luis, but Griezmann failed to atone for his spot-kick miss in the competition's final last season as he rattled the crossbar.

Bayern scarcely had an opportunity to punish the miss, however, and Los Rojiblancos held on firmly for the win.

Despite the setback, Bayern will still expect to reach the last 16 ahead of PSV Eindhoven and FC Rostov in Group D, but Atletico stand a good chance of topping the section.

Post-Match Reaction

Per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti gave his take on the game: 

"

We started well, but then we lost our way a bit and they could hit us on the break. The game became difficult with their goal. We tried to get back into the game. But we played too slowly, which is why we did not have many chances to equalise. We started to lose some personal battles, and gave the ball away and they could break.

"

Meanwhile, per Corrigan, Atletico counterpart Diego Simeone was understandably delighted: "Today I liked everything about our performance. One of the best performances since I’ve been at Atletico Madrid. We pressed well when we had to press. We sat back well when it was needed, and we were able to counter. We suffered when we had to."

He added: "The team today interpreted the game tactically in a very impressive way."