Atletico Madrid are in the Champions League semi-finals after surviving a breathless second leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, edging past Barcelona 2-1 on the night but holding on to progress 3-2 on aggregate in one of the quarter-final ties of the season.
Barcelona gave themselves every chance of completing one of Europe’s great comebacks, scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes to level the tie, only for Ademola Lookman’s clinical finish to restore Atletico’s aggregate advantage. A second red card for Barcelona, this time Eric Garcia’s dismissal for a professional foul with ten minutes remaining, effectively ended the contest before it had begun.
Barcelona came out with exactly the urgency the occasion demanded. Lamine Yamal forced Juan Musso into a full-length diving save inside the first 33 seconds, setting the tone for a frantic opening. In the fourth minute, a defensive mix-up allowed Ferran Torres to play Yamal into space, and the teenager stroked calmly past Musso to give Barcelona the lead and draw the tie level on aggregate.
The Metropolitano was rocking, and Barcelona were not done. Another error, this time from Koke, allowed Torres to smash a magnificent left-foot effort into the top corner, putting Barcelona ahead on aggregate and silencing the home crowd. Barely a minute later, Fermin Lopez headed straight at Musso when he should have made it three, before the goalkeeper’s stray boot caught Fermin’s face and brought play to a lengthy halt.
The momentum appeared to be firmly with Barcelona, but Atletico responded almost immediately after the restart. Lookman tapped home to put Atletico back in front on aggregate, a simple finish that carried enormous weight. Barcelona thereby became the first side in Champions League history to go 15 consecutive games without keeping a clean sheet.
Barcelona continued to press after the break, and their intensity nearly told when Torres volleyed home instinctively, only for VAR to rule the effort out for offside. Yamal remained a constant threat and Joan Garcia produced a crucial point-blank save to deny Robin Le Normand at the other end, keeping Barcelona’s hopes alive.
Those hopes were extinguished in the final ten minutes when Eric Garcia was adjudged by VAR to have been the last man as he clipped substitute Sorloth, reducing Barcelona to ten men for the second time across the two legs. Despite an all-out assault in the closing minutes, they could not find the goal that would have forced extra time.
Atletico Madrid have now progressed in the Champions League knockout stages on every occasion they have won the first leg away from home, extending that remarkable record to 22 from 22. They will face the winners of Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon in the semi-finals.
For Barcelona, it is a painful exit. They have now lost seven of their last ten Champions League quarter-final ties. Hansi Flick’s side can at least console themselves with the LaLiga title, which looks all but theirs, but European glory will have to wait.
