Atletico survive Barca scare to reach first Champions League semi in nine years

Atletico Madrid reached their first Champions League
semi-final in nine years on Tuesday (14 April), squeezing past Barcelona 3-2 on
aggregate despite a nerve-racking 2-1 home defeat that had the Metropolitano
crowd holding its breath until the final whistle.
Diego Simeone's side thought they
had done much of the heavy lifting with a 2-0 win at the Camp Nou in the first
leg but that cushion was wiped out by an early Barca blitz as the visitors
struck twice in the first half to level the tie.
Lamine Yamal capitalised on a
Clement Lenglet error to open the scoring in the fourth minute, finishing
neatly past goalkeeper Juan Musso after Ferran Torres set him up.
Torres then made it 2-0 in the 24th, racing clear onto Dani Olmo's pass and
driving the ball into the top corner.
Atletico, rocked but not floored,
found a lifeline in the 31st minute. Marcos Llorente burst down the right and
drilled a low cross to the far post where Lookman outpaced his marker and
fired inside the left post to restore the hosts' aggregate lead.
Barcelona dominated possession
after the break and had a third goal ruled out for offside against Torres as
Pedri and Gavi controlled the midfield.
Barca finished with 10 men after a
last-man challenge brought a red card for defender Eric Garcia and Atletico
held on to secure a place in the last four against Arsenal or Sporting who play
on Wednesday with the London side leading 1-0.
"We've been dreaming big for a long time," Musso told reporters.
"We wanted to get through this
stage and we knew we could do it. We remain true to our dreams. It's a
close-knit and lovely group. We deserve great things. The team will give it
their all."
Schoolboy error by Lenglet
Barca silenced a raucous stadium
inside four minutes thanks to a schoolboy error from Lenglet, who was deputising
in defence with Atletico missing David Hancko and Jose Maria Gimenez through
injury and Marc Pubil through suspension.
Lenglet's attempted pass back to
Musso lacked conviction, allowing Yamal to pounce. Torres collected the loose
ball and slipped a neat return pass into Yamal's stride. The teenager burst
into the box before tucking the ball under Musso.
Pushed into further mistakes by
Barca's press while trying to play out from the back, Atletico paid the price
again.
After another sloppy turnover, Olmo
surged through midfield and threaded a precise pass between the centre backs.
Torres timed his run to beat the offside trap and hammered a rising strike into
the top left corner to level the tie on aggregate.
Barcelona nearly struck a third
moments later when Lenglet misjudged another pass, but Musso produced an
extraordinary reflex save at point-blank range to deny Fermin Lopez.
Lookman's goal woke the
Metropolitano crowd up again and the second half resumed at a calmer tempo.
Barca's Garcia sees red for last-man challenge
Barca continued to monopolise
possession though and thought they had a third when Torres converted from close
range after a Gavi effort deflected into his path, but VAR ruled him offside.
With Olmo, Pedri and Gavi dictating
the play in midfield, it appeared only a matter of time before Barcelona
struck again but the contest took another twist when substitute Alexander
Sorloth was held from behind by Garcia while racing clear on goal.
Referee Clement Turpin initially
showed a yellow card but upgraded it to a red after a VAR review, leaving
Barcelona down to 10 men in identical fashion to the first leg, when Pau
Cubarsi was dismissed for hauling down Giuliano Simeone.
"That's football for you – it
all comes down to the little details," Barca coach Hansi Flick told
reporters.
"We need to improve in certain
areas, but in terms of mentality and attitude... the team gave it their all.
That's exactly what we want to see. They did a fantastic job, but we didn't
quite make it."
Sensing vulnerability, Atletico
pressed for an equaliser on the night, but Sorloth and Nahuel Molina squandered
openings.
The final whistle was greeted with
relief by the home fans. Beaten on the night, Atletico march on — battered,
breathless and back in the last four for the first time in nearly a decade.
















