Atletico Madrid reached the Champions League semifinals for the first time in nearly a decade. The Spanish club knocked out Barcelona with a 3-2 aggregate win despite a 2-1 defeat in the second leg on Tuesday. Coach Diego Simeone’s disciplined team held firm under pressure.
Barcelona started strongly at the Metropolitano Stadium. Forward Lamine Yamal scored in the fourth minute after he forced a mistake from defender Clement Lenglet and beat goalkeeper Juan Musso with a low shot.
Forward Ferran Torres then doubled the lead in the 24th minute. He outpaced Lenglet, took a pass from Dani Olmo and fired into the top corner. The visitors wiped out Atletico’s two-goal advantage from the first leg within half an hour.
Atletico Madrid responded with a quick counter. Midfielder Marcos Llorente crossed from the right and forward Ademola Lookman converted in the 31st minute to restore the aggregate lead. The home side stayed compact and absorbed pressure for the rest of the first half.
Barcelona pushed forward after the break but could not break through again. A Ferran Torres volley was ruled offside. Later, defender Eric Garcia received a red card in the 79th minute for clipping forward Alexander Sorloth.
Coach Hansi Flick sent on Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski and even pushed centre-back Ronald Araujo forward in the closing stages. Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso made several key saves. The home team defended stoutly through eight minutes of added time.
Atletico Madrid therefore advanced to the semifinals. They will face either Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon. Barcelona exited the competition despite the second-leg victory.
