UCL: Atletico Mardrid beat Inter on penalties to reach Champions League quarters
Atlético de Madrid advanced to the quarter-finals after battling back from 2-0 down on aggregate against Inter to defeat last season’s runners-up in a penalty shoot-out.
After a breathless start to the game in which both sides spurned chances, the visitors struck first just after the half-hour mark as a fine team move culminated in Nicolò Barella squaring for Federico Dimarco to power past Jan Oblak and make it 2-0 to Inter on aggregate.
That blow could have demoralised Atlético, but instead they responded in the perfect manner, with Antoine Griezmann turning and firing in from close range for his sixth goal of this Champions League campaign to give the hosts renewed hope in the tie.
The match continued to ebb and flow in the second half, and Inter forward Marcus Thuram had a golden opportunity to finish the contest when he was put through one-on-one in the 76th minute, but he could only blaze his effort over the bar to let Atlético off the hook.
Substitute Memphis Depay made Inter pay for that miss with just three minutes left, striking into the far corner of the net just moments after hitting the post to send the fans inside the Estadio Metropolitano wild.
Atleti could even have sealed progress in the dying moments of normal time to complete a remarkable comeback, but Rodrigo Riquelme blasted an effort over after being found by Griezmann to ensure another half-hour of play.
Both sides continued to go for a winner in extra time, with Inter’s Lautaro Martínez missing the best opportunity after nodding narrowly wide from a corner. In the end, however, there was nothing to choose between them as the tie went to penalties.
Atlético goalkeeper Oblak emerged as the hero, making two fine saves from Alexis Sánchez and Davy Klaassen before Martínez put his effort over to seal the home team’s advance at the expense of last season’s finalists.
Dortmund got the better of PSV Eindhoven as Jadon Sancho’s early strike and Marco Reus’ late finish sent the German side through despite a string of chances for the visitors.
Having scored at the weekend to notch his first goal since his return to Dortmund, Jadon Sancho did not wait long to add to his tally. With less than three minutes gone, the on-loan Manchester United forward capped the hosts’ early dominance by turning to curl a low shot beyond Walter Benítez.
That put Edin Terzić’s side ahead in the tie, and they bristled with confidence for much of the rest of the first half, until PSV began to look more threatening as half-time approached. The Eredivisie leaders then made a change at the break, introducing Hirving Lozano for a critical 45 minutes in their European season.
The Mexico winger made a near-immediate impact, thudding a venomous shot from distance against a post as the Dutch side, who had scored in their previous six Champions League matches this season, looked emboldened in their attempts to exploit their opponents’ deep back line.
For all their momentum, however, PSV were worrying Gregor Kobel’s defenders more than the goalkeeper himself – until Johan Bakayoko took matters into his own hands, turning smartly to fashion space deep inside the penalty area and lash in an effort which Kobel beat around his near post with a fine reflex stop.
The chances kept coming for Peter Bosz’s team, who went close again as Jordan Teze fired a half-volley wide, before Luuk de Jong lifted a close-range finish over the crossbar in added time.
Seconds later, substitute Marco Reus broke clear and slotted in the second, sealing Dortmund’s place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020/21.
