Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, with tears welling in his eyes, watched as Los Colchoneros followers erupted in celebration on the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Just moments earlier, he paced nervously on the sidelines, unable to witness the tense penalty shootout that secured Atletico’s conquer Inter Milan and propelled them to the Champions League quarterfinals.
Led by Jan Oblak’s essential saves and a late regulation winner, Atletico prevailed 3-2 on penalties.
“It was moving,” Simeone stated. “I’m happy for the players and for the fans. Again, we are among the best eight teams in Europe. That says a lot about this club.”
Oblak saved the penalties by Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen earlier than Martinez missed the ultimate kick for final yr’s European runner-up.
“In the end, it is a bit about luck in the shootout,” Oblak stated. “Because you have to choose the correct side and you have to make the stop. If the player takes the kick perfectly, it’s impossible to stop it. Thankfully, I was able to make the saves. What matters is the victory and that we made it to the quarterfinals.”
Memphis Depay, Rodrigo Riquelme, and Angel Correa transformed their penalties for Atletico, with Saul Niguez having his shot saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Francesco Acerbi scored for the guests within the shootout.
Atletico reversed the 1-0 first-leg loss after Depay scored an 87th-minute objective that gave Simeone’s staff a 2-1 win in regulation.
Atletico did not make it previous the group stage final season and was eradicated by Manchester City within the final eight in 2021-22.
Inter, which misplaced final yr’s remaining to Man City, arrived on the Metropolitano Stadium having fun with a 13-game profitable streak. It hadn’t misplaced in 15 consecutive video games in all competitions and had gained all its matches in 2024.
“We must be proud of what we did in this Champions League,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi stated. “In the second half, we should have done better. In extra time, we had more energy, but unfortunately, we made too many mistakes.”
Inter opened the scoring in regulation with Federico Dimarco within the thirty third minute, however Atletico equalized two minutes later with Antoine Griezmann in his return from harm.
In the opposite Champions League match Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund defeated PSV Eindhoven 2-0 at dwelling to advance 3-1 on mixture.
The eight groups within the quarterfinal draw are Atletico, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona.
It was an open match on the Metropolitano Stadium, with Atletico urgent ahead from the beginning and Inter threatening on counterattacks.
The hosts dominated the ultimate a part of the match and created a number of possibilities till Depay broke via with the late winner, a low shot from inside the world after a pleasant set-up by midfielder Koke Resurreccion.
Inter had elevated its first-leg lead, with Dimarco scoring with a low shot from the center of the world after a move by Nicolo Barella following a breakaway within the thirty third minute.
But it did not take lengthy for Atletico to reply, equalizing a few minutes later with Griezmann scoring after selecting up a free ball inside the world.
Griezmann was making his return to motion after spraining his ankle within the first leg in Italy three weeks in the past. The France ahead has been key for Atletico this season however hasn’t scored in eight consecutive matches in all competitions.
Barella had an opportunity so as to add Inter’s second objective in a breakaway within the 82nd minute, however he acquired off a weak shot in a one-on-one scenario with Oblak. Depay had hit the publish within the eighty fifth minute, a couple of minutes after coming off the bench to exchange Alvaro Morata.
Riquelme got here near sealing Atletico’s triumph within the third minute of stoppage time in regulation, however his shot from close to the penalty spot missed over the crossbar. Simeone dropped to the bottom after the ball sailed over the web.
Atletico arrived with an excellent dwelling report however had gained solely two of its final 9 matches in all competitions.
The Champions League represents Atletico’s final practical likelihood for a title this season. It was eradicated within the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and sat in fourth place within the Spanish league, 14 factors behind chief Real Madrid.
Source: www.dailysabah.com