Following a high-tension Round of 16 clash that ended in a 2-2 aggregate draw on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals after winning a penalty shootout. Inter seemed to be in control after their 1-0 victory in the first leg and an early lead at the Metropolitano, but Atletico refused to give up, battling back to push the game into a shootout.
After a tense last-16 match that ended 2-2 on aggregate on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid needed a penalty shootout to defeat Inter Milan and advance to the Champions League quarterfinals. Inter, who won the first leg 1-0 at home, took the lead at the Metropolitano, and Atletico appeared to be on their way out. But they fought back and found a way to send it to penalties.
The shootout was decided by Jan Oblak's brilliance, as he stopped efforts from Davy Klaassen and Alexis Sanchez. Although Inter's Yann Sommer managed to save Saul Niguez's attempt, keeping the Italians in the hunt, Lautaro Martinez ultimately failed to convert. His shot flew over the crossbar, confirming a 3-2 shootout win for Atletico, who had finished the match 2-1 after extra time.
The scoring opened in the 33rd minute when Federico Dimarco gave Inter the lead, but Antoine Griezmann responded quickly, scoring the equalizer just two minutes later. The game was sent into extra time thanks to a late strike by Memphis Depay. While both sides had clear openings to win it during the extra 30 minutes, Simeone's squad remained disciplined, resulting in the elimination of last year's finalists. Atletico's performance was a stark contrast to their first leg at the San Siro, where they failed to register a single shot; this time, they were aggressive from the start, energized by their passionate home fans. However, Inter struck first when Nicolo Barella set up Dimarco, who fired a precise shot right down the middle past Oblak.
Facing a 2-0 deficit on aggregate, Atletico reacted immediately. Koke delivered a pass into the box that slipped past two Inter defenders and found Griezmann, who clinicaly finished from close range. Griezmann nearly doubled the lead before halftime, but Benjamin Pavard managed to block the shot just as Sommer dove the wrong way, leaving the score tied at 1-1 heading into the break.
Inter had a few golden opportunities to kill the game, but both Nicolo Barella and Marcus Thuram missed their chances. That inefficiency cost them, as Koke once again provided the key pass, finding Memphis Depay, who turned and smashed the ball into the bottom corner. Atletico almost clinched it in regular time when a Griezmann assist put Rodrigo Riquelme through, but his first-time effort sailed over the bar, leaving Diego Simeone stunned. Ultimately, Atletico kept their composure during the penalties, sparking wild celebrations in the stadium as they secured the win.
In other news, FC Barcelona has reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2020, following an exciting 3-1 victory over Napoli at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night.