Atletico Madrid reaches Champions League semifinals
Long after the game against Barcelona ended, Atletico Madrid players were back on the field at the Metropolitano stadium to celebrate.
They chanted along with the fans, and jumped and danced among themselves.
It was a big night for Atletico.
Diego Simeone’s team held on after an early charge by Barcelona to make it back to the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in nearly a decade.
Atletico lost 2-1 but advanced 3-2 on aggregate after having won the first leg 2-0 in Barcelona last week. It will be the team’s first last-four appearance in the European competition since 2017.
“To play in a Champions League semifinal, how nice, how nice...” said Simeone, who was visibly moved after the thrilling back-and-forth game.
“It’s been 14 years and honestly, seeing the team still competing really moves me,” Simeone said. “The players have changed; we’ve had to start over many times and yet here we are again among the top four in Europe.”
Simeone has been in charge of the club since late 2011. Atletico, seeking its first Champions League title, lost in the 2017 semifinals to Real Madrid.
It also lost to Madrid in both finals it played against the city rival in the Champions League, in 2014 and 2016.
Barcelona, trying to return to the last four for the second season in a row, scored twice in the first 24 minutes to even the series, with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres finding the net.
Atletico struck back still in the first half with a goal by Ademola Lookman.
The Catalan club played a man down from the 79th after defender Eric Garcia was shown a red card for fouling Alexander Sorloth to stop a breakaway.
“We played a very good match, we gave our lives out there, we tried everything,” Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong said. “Luck wasn’t on our side this time.
When you go a man down it’s always harder.”
Atletico will face either Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the semifinals. Arsenal won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon last week. Their second leg in London is on Wednesday.
