On Tuesday night, Julian Alvarez scored his first goal of the season as Atletico Madrid fought back from a goal down to secure a hard-earned draw against Stuttgart despite finishing the match with 10 men.

The Argentina international had been at the centre of transfer speculation during the summer, with Barcelona reportedly keen to bring him to Camp Nou.

However, Atletico refused to sell the forward to their La Liga rivals. Alvarez proved his importance to Diego Simeone’s side by equalising just 80 seconds into the second half.

The striker produced a composed sweeping finish after substitute Ademola Lookman, introduced at the interval, found him unmarked inside the penalty area.

Atletico’s task became more difficult in the 64th minute when midfielder Morten Hjulmand was sent off for a reckless challenge on Angelo Stiller, who had delivered an impressive performance for the German hosts.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Atletico held firm under sustained pressure to claim a valuable point away from home.

Stuttgart had controlled much of the first half and created several opportunities before finally taking the lead in the 36th minute.

Jamie Leweling fired a superb low shot from the edge of the penalty area to give the Bundesliga side a deserved advantage at the break.

However, the hosts were left to rue their missed chances when Alvarez restored parity shortly after the restart, punishing their failure to establish a more commanding lead.

Atletico appeared capable of building on the equaliser and potentially taking control of the contest, but Hjulmand’s dismissal forced them to change their approach and defend with 10 players for the final 26 minutes.

Stuttgart increased the pressure in search of a winning goal, but Atletico’s defence stood firm to preserve the draw.

The hosts came close to snatching all three points when defender Jeff Chabot met Maximilian Mittelstadt’s corner, but his header drifted wide of the target.

Ultimately, Atletico’s resilience ensured they left Germany with a point, while Stuttgart were left disappointed after failing to capitalise on their first-half dominance and numerical advantage late in the game.