Atletico Madrid reached first Champions League semifinal in nine years. (Photo Credits: X)
Atletico Madrid reached their first Champions League semi-final in nine years on Tuesday, 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.”
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 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.
Ousmane Dembele struck twice to confirm Paris St Germain’s place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool on Tuesday, sealing a 4-0 aggregate win in their quarter-final tie at a rain-soaked Anfield.
The holders soaked up sustained second-half pressure from Liverpool, who were roared on by a raucous home crowd, but built on the advantage they established in the first leg in Paris last week to book their fifth semi-final berth in seven seasons.
Dembele scored at Anfield for a second successive campaign when he latched onto a ball from Bradley Barcola in the 72nd minute and curled a shot into the bottom corner past Giorgi Mamardashvili from 20 yards out. He completed his double early in stoppage time, slotting home a cross from Barcola.
PSG will meet either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the next round, with the German side leading 2-1 ahead of Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg.
“We managed to stay strong and defended well,” PSG defender Marquinhos told Canal+. “You can see how the team has matured. We’ve gained experience.”
Boos rang around Anfield in the second half after a penalty was overturned by VAR, initially awarded when Willian Pacho clattered into Alexis Mac Allister in the box.
The game, played in a torrential downpour, was overshadowed by a worrying first-half injury to Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike, who was carried off after going down unchallenged and pointing to his Achilles tendon, leaving the pitch in tears.
“It’s not too good,” Liverpool boss Arne Slot said. “Let’s wait and see. In the second half he went home. I’ve not seen him yet.”
PSG dominated the first half, and Dembele’s brace came after he squandered a couple of earlier chances, including a close-range shot that he fired well over the bar and another that Mamardashvili, racing back toward his net, punched clear.
It was virtually all Liverpool early in the second half as Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez and Mac Allister all missed decent chances.
Milos Kerkez looked poised to score after latching onto a brilliant ball from Mohamed Salah, who was making his final Champions League appearance for the home side. But the Hungarian sent the ball wide.
Dembele’s first goal, against the run of play, all but settled the contest, stripping struggling Liverpool, who had previously crashed out of both the FA Cup and League Cup, of any realistic hope of overturning the tie and leaving PSG firmly in control for the remainder of the night.
“The game today meant a lot of things because against PSG, who are a bit better than last season, to make a performance like that we have to build from that and realise how good we can be,” Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate told Amazon Prime.
“It is minimum standard for Liverpool to play Champions League. We have six games left (of the Premier League season) and we have to give all in those six games.
“We knew we could do something special at Anfield… this is football. It’s sad.”
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