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VIDEO: Mario Suarez's deflected shot pulls Atletico Madrid level on aggregate vs. Bayer Leverkusen

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP / Getty

Atletico Madrid defensive midfielder Mario Suarez chose an excellent time to score his first Champions League goal, opening the scoring in the 25th minute of his side's round-of-16 fixture versus Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

After Leverkusen did a solid job of defending a threatening free kick, a series of headers saw the ball eventually fall to Suarez, who fired a 20-yard shot through traffic that found the back of the net following a deflection off defender Omer Toprak.

The goal levelled the score on aggregate at 1-1.

Gol Mário Suarez !

Almost a year has passed since Atleti last scored a European goal from outside the box ...

... and it's worth noting that Suarez's strike marked the first shot on target in either of Wednesday's Champions League fixtures.

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