Again Real Madrid proved that they are masters when it comes to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) despite losing the second leg of the Round of 16 at the Metropolitano Stadium Wednesday.
ValverThey edged the rugged Diego Simeone’s side, Atletico Madrid with a dramatic 4-2 penalty out success, ending the Colchoneros’ 18-match unbeaten home run in UCL knockout matches and will thus meet Arsenal who dismissed PSG Eindhoven on 9-3 aggregate in the quarter-finals.
It took a mere 27 seconds for Atlético to wipe out Real’s aggregate lead in a blistering break forward which resulted in an eruption of noise inside the Metropolitano. Julián Alvarez played the ball out to Rodrigo De Paul, whose cross from the right eluded Giuliano Simeone before Conor Gallagher slid home at the near post for his first European goal. It was the earliest Atletico goal in UCL history, and the fastest ever scored by an Englishman in the competition.
The pattern of the game was suiting the hosts well, as Diego Simeone’s side were able to sit back and bide their time ahead of making any further forays forward. Clear-cut chances were at a premium, but Alvarez forced Thibaut Courtois into two separate saves and left Los Blancos with plenty to ponder at HT.
Alvarez continued to be a thorn in Real’s side after the break, as he managed to escape the clutches of several markers before his subsequent shot was pushed away by Courtois. In contrast, the reigning European champions had only mustered one shot on target heading towards the hour mark and were struggling to match Atleti’s intensity. Simeone’s side were inches away from taking an outright aggregate lead when De Paul’s free-kick was headed narrowly wide by Clément Lenglet.
The visitors were looking sluggish, but Kylian Mbappé engineered a route back into the game as slalomed his way through the Atlético defence and was sent tumbling inside the box after being pulled back by Lenglet. Vinícius Júnior stepped up from 12 yards, but he sent an atrocious penalty high and wide, much to the disbelief of Ancelotti. The miss also served as a rallying cry for Simeone to ramp up the fervent Metropolitano crowd even more. Ángel Correa was brought on as the hosts looked to press on, and he almost made an immediate impact after latching onto Marcos Llorente’s long ball and maneuvering his way past Antonio Rüdiger before shooting over the bar. With extra time underway, another substitute – Alexander Sørloth – scuffed his close-range attempt wide from deep inside the box.
Penalties beckoned, and there was drama before the shootout was even concluded as Alvarez’s effort was controversially ruled out for a double touch. It was advantage Real, but Jan Oblak made a fine stop to deny Lucas Vázquez. But as Marcos Llorente hit the bar, Rüdiger’s effort squirmed through Oblak’s grasp and sent Ancelotti’s men through in the most dramatic of circumstances.
