Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres has described Tuesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat to Barcelona, in which he was sent off, as "one of the worst days" of his career, while Luis Suarez believes the red card was a turning point in the tie, which Barca won 2-1. 

Torres opened the scoring in the first half before picking up two yellow cards in the space of six minutes. According to Goal's David Manuca, he said: "This is one of the worst days of my life as a footballer. I am sad to have left the team with 10 [men]. In a way I feel responsible for the team not winning. I am certain that with 11 it would have been totally different."

Meanwhile, Suarez told TV3 (h/t Goal's Joe Wright): "It was decisive because everyone knows the quality player Fernando is. He made two heavy fouls. It was a shame because it would have been good to have 11 against 11."

Torres took to Twitter in the wake of the defeat to accept responsibility:

BT Sport Football provided the highlights of the key incidents involving the Spaniard as he put Los Rojiblancos ahead before leaving his side with almost an hour to play with 10 men:

Social media was quick to react and Sport Magazine's Tony Hodson criticised Torres' inexplicable decision to make the second challenge, but he also called out Sergio Busquets for his theatrical reaction:

The sending off was indeed a key moment as Suarez noted, as it effectively nullified Atletico's ability to cause the Blaugrana any serious problems going forward and forced them to sit back on their lead.

AFP's Tom Williams noted how the complexion of the game had changed:

Torres wasn't the only player deserving of a red card in the match, though, as Suarez was very lucky to still be on the pitch. The Uruguayan kicked out at Juanfran off the ball in the first half but escaped sanction from the referee, and he later picked up a booking for bowling over Filipe Luis with a hand to the face.

Per the MailOnline's Tom Farmery, BT Sport pundits Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Ian Wright all believed the striker—who netted both of Barca's goals—should have been sent off.

When asked as much by host Gary Lineker, Ferdinand replied: "Yes. He's lost it," while Owen said of the first incident: "If Juanfran goes over there and rolls over then he [Suarez] gets sent off." Wright believed Suarez was well aware of what he was doing: "He knows as well, Mike [Owen]. He knows. He'll swipe out there, then he'll kick him and then instantly he'll go 'I'm really sorry.'"

BT Sport Football shared their analysis of both incidents:

Williams agreed with them:

Despite his failure to send off Suarez, Barca technical director Robert Fernandez was critical of referee Felix Brych for not dismissing more Atletico players. Per Wright, he said: "The referee has harmed both of us. A number of Atletico players deserved one more card. It was a difficult game to referee."

As Williams noted, the game encapsulated the best and worst of Suarez's game in a nutshell—his aggression and ability to cause moments of controversy are almost without equal, and his penchant for the spectacular with some ruthless finishing and delightful play were also on show.

At 29, the striker isn't likely to change or abandon the style of play that has been so successful for him throughout his career, though he'll always remain a suspension risk for playing so close to the edge—not to mention officials may keep a closer eye on him in future after Tuesday's performance.

As for Torres, the 32-year-old has shown glimpses of his old self recently with his well-taken goal at the Camp Nou and delightful finish on Saturday, but as has so often been the case in his post-Liverpool career it seems he's taken one step forward and two steps back.