Julian Alvarez’s brace inspired Atletico Madrid to a stunning Champions League victory at Sparta Prague.

Diego Simeone’s side started the game in 23rd place in the league table – just outside the play-off places – and will be hoping for back-to-back European Cup wins after beating Paris St-Germain in their last game.

This was the first competitive game between Sparta and Atletico – and it was sparked in the first half by former Manchester City striker Alvarez, who directed a superb free-kick into the top corner.

Marcos Llorente scored the visitors’ deserved second goal before half-time and although the hosts had plenty of possession, they failed to put Atlético in trouble.

Midway through the second half, Alvarez picked up his second and his team’s third pass, controlling Giuliano Simeone’s pass in the box before hammering past Peter Vindahl.

Antoine Griezmann scored a fourth goal in his 100th Champions League appearance before substitute Angel Correa scored twice in quick succession in the closing stages to add the cherry on top to the visitors’ dominant performance.

Atletico now have nine points from their first five games – level on points with eighth-placed Aston Villa, but have played one game more. The top eight teams automatically advance to the knockout rounds, with teams ranked ninth to 24th having to compete in a play-off.