Julian Alvarez scored a second-half brace as a 10-man Atletico Madrid came from a goal down to beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at home on Tuesday, and take a major step towards a top-eight finish.

Atletico Madrid fought back to rescue a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday as Julian Alvarez's second-half brace cancelled out Piero Hincapie's opener in an action-packed game which ended with both sides down to 10 men.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone praised his side's intelligence in Tuesday's 2-1 come-from-behind home win over Bayer Leverkusen, saying the victory was "no coincidence". Atletico have made the showpiece event twice under Simeone but have lost to city rivals Real Madrid on both occasions.