The Manchester City manager, Nick Cushing, was relaxed after a late strike from Charlyn Corral earned Atlético Madrid a precious away goal, and a draw.

“The away goal means zero because we had it last year and got beat,” he said. “It’s the Champions League and it’s competitive. We need to try not to concede goals and score. I think the away goals only really matter if you score again in the second leg.”

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The hosts took the lead through Janine Beckie before Corral, who scored 86 goals in 117 appearances for Levante before joining Atlético, ensured City face a tough return leg.

The most alluring tie of the round did not quite live up to that billing. But in Lauren Hemp, who was making her third appearance of the season after a spell out with a shoulder injury, City had the brightest player on the pitch. The 19-year-old ran Carmen Menayo and Aïssatou Tounkara ragged, and it was her shot that led to their goal. Hemp’s low effort was saved by the Netherlands goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal but a poor clearance enabled Keira Walsh to play a ball through the middle. The pass took a deflection but ran kindly for Beckie, who powered it coolly into the roof of the net with her first touch. It was her fifth goal of the season and all have come in the Champions League.

City were ahead but Atlético could have punished them in the opening minutes. A free-kick from the edge of the box was swung towards goal only for Ellie Roebuck to acrobatically palm the ball away. It fell to Toni Duggan in the six-yard box but the former City forward could only direct the follow-up over the bar. Rather than spurring the visiting side on though, it would be their only real chance of the half, with City dominating possession and whipping the ball around. The England right-back Demi Stokes returned to the starting lineup for City and combined smartly with Hemp, with shades of the Lucy Bronze and Nikita Parris partnership to their link-up play and Jill Scott characteristically supporting the flank play from inside.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Janine Beckie scores Manchester City’s opener. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

At half-time Cushing would have been significantly happier with his team’s relaxed but assured performance compared with their showing against the La Liga champions here last year. In the round of 32 a valuable away goal in Madrid, tempered by Kenti Robles’s 89th-minute leveller, was thrown away within four minutes in Manchester. Atlético then doubled their lead and City found no way back.

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This time round they were facing a very different Atlético side, one that was turned over 6-1 by Barcelona in their second game of the season and with a new manager, Pablo López.

“It was tough. We knew it would be difficult,” said Duggan, whose attitude was praised by López as “extraordinary”.

“We lost our coach which is always difficult. We had a tough game on Saturday then had to travel here. I am so proud of the team. It means so much to us.

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“The performance we put in, the injuries we have got, the week we have had, it was a positive performance from us all. We haven’t seen the best from Atlético but we are near the top of the table and competing in the Champions League.”

City too are a very different side. Further into the season they are fitter and fresher than against Atlético last year. But it was the Spanish side who pushed for an equaliser on the break in the second half.

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Struggling to break through City’s commanding backline, which had conceded only once in seven games, Maria Santos tried to catch Roebuck out from distance but could only loop the ball over the bar.

Hemp should have doubled City’s lead after a burst into the box from the left but Laia Aleixandri threw her body in the way. In the end the hosts were punished.

Ludmila Silva surged down the right, shoulder to shoulder with Stokes, and having got the better of the full-back passed into the middle for Corral to poke in the late equaliser. City now have a testing run, with away trips to Manchester United, Arsenal and Madrid. “I never think we won’t get a goal so we are just looking forward to that game now,” said Scott. “I’d rather play Arsenal every week. These are the games that I was like an excited kid waiting for. These runs excite the team.”