diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/render3/view/template.ts b/packages/compiler/src/render3/view/template.ts
index 49e593ba90..607703732d 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/render3/view/template.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/render3/view/template.ts
@@ -315,12 +315,12 @@ export class TemplateDefinitionBuilder implements t.Visitor<void>, LocalResolver
       this._creationCode.push(...i18nMessages);
     }
 
-    const isEmptyElement = element.outputs.length === 0 && element.children.length === 0;
+    let isSelfClosingElement = element.outputs.length === 0 && element.children.length === 0;
 
 
     const implicit = o.variable(CONTEXT_NAME);
 
-    if (isEmptyElement) {
+    if (isSelfClosingElement) {
       this.instruction(
           this._creationCode, element.sourceSpan, R3.element, ...trimTrailingNulls(parameters));
     } else {
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ export class TemplateDefinitionBuilder implements t.Visitor<void>, LocalResolver
       t.visitAll(this, element.children);
     }
 
-    if (!isEmptyElement) {
+    if (!isSelfClosingElement) {
       // Finish element construction mode.
       this.instruction(
           this._creationCode, element.endSourceSpan || element.sourceSpan, R3.elementEnd);
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/render3/r3_view_compiler_template_spec.ts b/packages/compiler/test/render3/r3_view_compiler_template_spec.ts
index d4593cb197..86d96f9850 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/render3/r3_view_compiler_template_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/render3/r3_view_compiler_template_spec.ts
@@ -133,12 +133,15 @@ describe('compiler compliance: template', () => {
       };
 
       const template = `
+        // ...
         template:function MyComponent_Template(rf: IDENT, $ctx$: IDENT){
           if (rf & 1) {
             $i0$.ɵEe(0,'div');
           }
         }`;
 
+      debugger;
+
       const result = compile(files, angularFiles);
 
       expectEmit(result.source, template, 'Incorrect template');