Atletico Madrid eliminated Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in a two-legged tie, 3-2 on aggregate, with the match played at the “Estadio Metropolitano” starting much better for the Catalan team, who scored twice, until Ademola Lookman scored and put the team from the Spanish capital in the lead. The second half was one in which Ferran Torres scored for the second time in this game, but his goal was canceled, on grounds of offside, qualification being decided in favor of the “rojiblancos”, after the Catalans finished the duel with 10 men.
Atletico de Madrid and FC Barcelona faced off in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, at the “Estadio Metropolitano”, in a duel in which the “blaugrana” tried to produce a new historic “comeback” in the continental competition, a performance marked nine years ago, in the 2016/2017 season, against the French from Paris Saint-Germain, at the “Camp Nou”, with a final score of 6-1, a result that allowed the Catalans to advance in that edition of the European competition.
In the first “episode” of this double elimination in the Champions League, the “rojiblancos” had achieved a success with a two-goal difference, thanks to the successes signed by Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, in a match in which the hosts played for more than a half in numerical inferiority, after the elimination of Pau Cubarsi. Diego Simeone was unable to rely on the services of Marc Pubill, who is suspended, and Pablo Barrios, Jose Maria Gimenez and David Hancko, who are injured, for the match in the Spanish capital.
On the other hand, Hansi Flick did not have Raphinha, Andreas Christensen and Pau Cubarsi available for this continental match, while Marc Bernal travelled with the rest of his teammates, but the Spanish central midfielder did not receive medical confirmation to play in this match. Frenkie De Jong caught a few minutes in the Catalan derby won by Barcelona at the weekend, and the Dutch player was fit to play for the match at the “Estadio Metropolitano”.
Atletico de Madrid and the Catalan team met for the sixth time this season, in all competitions, and, before the starting whistle of the match, Barcelona was leading in the “victories” chapter, recording three triumphs against the team from the Spanish capital, two of them being recorded in the first and second matches, respectively, of the current La Liga season, and, the other success was marked in the second encounter that was played in the double-leg of the “Copa del Rey” semi-final. The “los colchoneros” team had obtained victories against the Catalans in the first “episode” of the “square of aces” of the continental competition, but also last week, at the “Camp Nou”.
The team from the “Estadio Metropolitano”, under the command of Diego Simeone, had not lost a single UEFA Champions League knockout match on home soil, in fact, the last failure suffered in front of their own supporters, in Europe’s top competition, in a knockout phase, dating back to the 1996/1997 season, when Ajax Amsterdam would prevail in the Spanish capital. On the other hand, the “blaugrana” team had recorded two successes in the most recent five continental duels that had been played away from “home”, before “stepping” on the turf of the Atletico de Madrid arena.
Lamine Yamal was one step away from opening the scoring at the “Estadio Metropolitano” in the first minute of the game, when the Barcelona star took the ball and shot to the far corner, but Juan Musso displayed great reflexes and kept his team alive. The scoreboard was unlocked a few moments later, when the same “ten-year-old” of the guests received a pass in the lane from Ferran Torres, after an unforgivable mistake made by the hosts’ defense, and Lamine Yamal calmly finished, on foot, past Juan Musso.
Ademola Lookman missed Atletico Madrid’s first goal chance, the Nigerian receiving a ball in the opponent’s box, but he shot wide of the goal defended by Joan Garcia. Dani Olmo wasted a huge chance to double the visitors’ advantage when, receiving a free pass from Lamine Yamal, he finished with a shot sent weakly, into the chest of Juan Musso. The African winger then passed, in the 22nd minute of the match, into the mouth of the goal, where Antoine Griezmann resumed, from the fall, from the first, but the ball went wide of the Catalan goal.
The second success of the “blaugrana” group was recorded in the 24th minute of the duel in the Spanish capital, when Dani Olmo filtered an exceptional pass, in free space, for Ferran Torres, and, from a complicated angle, the “fake” striker of Barcelona scored with a shot sent to the far corner, triggering madness in the Catalan fans’ sector. Lamine Yamal, immediately after, sent a cross with the outside of his left foot, and Fermin Lopez hit the ball with his head, but his execution hit Juan Musso.
Atletico de Madrid scored the first goal of this match thanks to an exceptional counterattack put into practice by Diego Simeone’s students, Maarcos Llorente being launched in depth by a teammate, and the pass sent by the Spanish central midfielder found Ademola Lookman free in the box, who finished simply, with a shot from the first that shook the Catalan goal. Ferran Torres received a pass from Lamine Yamal in the 41st minute of the match, and the “seven” of the guests shot, from a fall, directly at Juan Musso, missing a great chance to score.
In the last minute of the first half, Ferran Torres had a chance to convert a free kick that he executed from the edge of the penalty area, but the shot of the Catalan group striker went over the goal of Atletico de Madrid, so, in the locker rooms, the “blaugrana” band entered with a slight advantage. Ademola Lookman had the opportunity to equalize the situation in this match, when, on a counterattack, he received a ball from Julian Alvarez, and, from about 25 meters, the Nigerian footballer shot past the Catalan goal.
Barcelona came close to scoring for the third time in the game when Ferran Torres shot at Juan Musso from close range, but a few moments later the ball was fortunately found by the Catalan striker after a blocked shot by Gavi, and thanks to a tricky shot, the ball ended up in the far corner of the goal defended by the Argentine goalkeeper, the goal being ruled out for offside. Dani Olmo then had the ball at his feet in the opposing box, but the Barcelona midfielder’s shot went well over the crossbar.
Joan Garcia made a decisive intervention in the 74th minute of the game, when Robin Le Normand’s shot was taken from a few metres out, the Catalan goalkeeper having a great reflex that allowed his team to stay in the “match”. In the 79th minute of the match, Eric Garcia fouled Alexander Sorloth in an area close to the Catalan goal, and French referee Clement Turpin fined the Catalan central defender with a red card. In the next phase of the competition, Atletico de Madrid will face the winner of Arsenal and Sporting, while the Catalans are out of the calculations for the continental trophy.
In the next match, the “rojiblancos” will play in the company of Real Sociedad, in the final of the “Copa del Rey”, and the Catalans will play in the company of Celta Vigo, in the Spanish championship.