Pablo Barrios celebrates Koke's 49-second goal against Manchester United

Pablo Barrios opened the scoring for Atlético de Madrid at 49 seconds against Manchester United in the Champions League group stage, after receiving a pass from Álex Baena. The journalist held up the number six, Koke’s shirt number, with both hands as a dedication to the captain whose mother died on Tuesday morning.

An emotionally charged goal

The goal came at the Metropolitano, right after a minute of silence during which both teams paid tribute. Atlético’s players wore black wristbands, the stadium flag flew at half‑mast, and the stands chanted Koke’s name, who could not attend the match.

The substitute and the flow of the game

Johnny Cardoso took Koke’s place, who was left out of the lineup due to the family loss. After Barrios’ goal, the score remained 1‑0 until Ademola Lookman extended the lead to 2‑0 in the 79th minute.

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Marcos Llorente later showed Koke’s shirt to the crowd, prompting an ovation. Diego Simeone was visibly moved during the tribute.

Facts and curiosities

According to UEFA, the 49‑second goal is the second‑fastest by an Atlético player in the Champions League. The match would have been Koke’s 750th with the club, but he was not listed in the squad and was not present at the stadium.

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The midfielder, a starter from the opening whistle, had recently returned from an injury that kept him out after the defeat at Anfield, where the team lost three games without him.