Radamel Falcao put in another brilliant performance for Atlético Madrid, helping them to a win in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal, but Hannover 96 have a good shot at overturning the result in Germany. An away goal scored by Manchester United castaway Mame Biram Diouf has Hannover very much in the tie, despite a 2-1 loss.
Falcao put his team up early with an absolutely brilliant header on a free kick. Because of the straight-on angle of the free kick, a shot looked like the best option for Atléti, but Gabi found Falcao's head instead, and the Colombian international directed the ball into the back of the net.
Diouf's goal was scored from close range and was one of few Hannover shots on target during the game. In the 38th minute, Lars Stindl set him up with a great low cross into the box, and Diouf finished the chance from the edge of the 6-yard box.
It appeared that Hannover were going to hang onto a fantastic 1-1 road draw until the very end of the match, when Eduardo Salvio struck the winner. After Falcao rose up to head down a 50-50 long ball, Salvio took the ball on the bounce and struck a magnificent 25-yard volley to turn the result and lift his team from underdog status into being slight favorites in the return leg.
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