Diego Ribas wonder strike hands slight advantage to Atletico Madrid

Pique and Diego Costa both depart with early injuries

Barcelona's Neymar celebrates after scoring his side's goal during their Uefa Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on April 1, 2014. Emilio Morenatti / AP PhotoShow less

BARCELONA // Atletico Madrid’s headline-making Diegos from South America are usually their best player Costa and their coach Simeone. Tuesday night it was a third Latin Diego, Ribas, scorer of a wonder goal against Barcelona.

The Brazilian attacking midfielder, 29, who rejoined the club in January from Wolfsburg, replaced the injured Costa early in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final first leg against at Camp Nou. It was one of the hardest tasks in football, filling in for Spain's player of the season so far, yet his 56th-minute strike from outside the area stunned Barcelona's stand-in goalkeeper Pinto, his teammates and all but 1,000 supporters in the 85,000 crowd.

A sure contender for the goal of the season, its importance could go well beyond individual merit – a vital away strike for a side who know all about the importance of such goals, having lost the Spanish Super Cup to one against Barcelona in August.

A 71st-minute Neymar equaliser meant it did not win the game, but Atletico will be the more satisfied side.

Spain's leading two teams had met three times this season before last night, with each encounter ending in a stalemate.

Both teams were forced to make unwanted first-half substitutions to key players, with Gerard Pique and Costa departing injured. Pique went down after jumping over Costa in the seventh minute and landing heavily on his back. He was replaced by Marc Bartra after 11 minutes and later confirmed to have a pelvic injury.

Costa, who had pulled out of Atletico's last training session with a groin problem and was said by his boss Simeone as being "unlikely" to start, pulled up after 28 minutes with a hamstring problem and was replaced by Diego two minutes later. Early indications were that Atleti's best player is unlikely to play in the second leg next week. That was after another Diego – Godin – had blocked a shot from Andres Iniesta, who had received a reverse back pass from Lionel Messi.

Barca pressed and passed, making 312 first-half passes to Atletico’s 122, with Messi, Bartra, Neymar and Daniel Alves all having efforts on target, while Villa had another chance on goal just before half-time. Yet again, these two sides could not be separated in a first period that saw Atletico midfielders Arda, Gabi and Koke all cautioned by the referee. Three more visiting players would get second-half cautions, the first, right-back Juanfran, who followed his teammates into the book with a 52nd minute caution. That was before Diego’s goal completely changed the game’s dynamic.

Barca pushed for an equaliser, Atletico continued to defend superbly. They substituted striker David Villa in the 70th minute to cheers and jeers from fans of his former club. A minute later, the noise was resoundingly positive as a sublime Iniesta ball cut Atletico’s defence before Neymar swept the ball across Thibaut Courtois’ goal and into the net.

It vindicated Gerardo Martino’s decision to keep the Brazilian on the pitch when fans had been calling for him to be replaced by Alexis Sanchez or Pedro. Sanchez came on in the 68th minute, but for Cesc Fabregas. His introduction worked and Camp Nou continued to rock in a deafening noise not heard all season as the Catalans pushed for a winner.

It did not come, and the game between the pair ended in a draw for the fourth time this season.

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