UEFA Champions League: Atletico Madrid withstands early Barcelona attack to reach the semi-finals

Long after the match against Barcelona had ended, Atletico Madrid’s players returned to the Metropolitano Stadium pitch to celebrate.

They sang along with the fans and jumped and danced.

It was a big night for them.

Diego Simeone’s team held strong after an early attack from Barcelona to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in almost a decade.

Atletico lost 2-1 but advanced 3-2 on aggregate after winning the first leg 2-0 in Barcelona last week. It will be the team’s first last-four appearance in European competition since 2017.

“To play in the semi-final of the Champions League, how nice, how nice…” said Simeone, who was visibly moved after the exciting back-and-forth match.

“It’s been 14 years and honestly, it really moves me to see the team still competing,” Simeone said. “The players have changed, we have often had to start over, and yet here we are again among the top four in Europe.”

Simeone has been in charge of the club since the end of 2011. Atletico, seeking its first Champions League title, lost to Real Madrid in the 2017 semi-finals. It also lost to its city rivals in both finals it played in 2014 and 2016.

Barcelona, ​​trying to return to the last four for the second season in a row, scored twice in the opening 24 minutes to level the series, with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres finding the net.

Atletico hit back in the first half with a goal from Ademola Lookman.

The Catalan club played a man down from 79th after defender Eric García was shown a red card for fouling Alexander Sorloth to stop a breakaway.

«We played a very good match, we gave our lives, we tried everything,» said Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. «Luck wasn’t on our side this time. When you take a guy down, it’s always harder.»

Atletico will face either Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the semi-finals. Arsenal won the first leg in Lisbon 1-0 last week. The second leg is in London on Wednesday.

«Extremely happy to eliminate a Barcelona team that has a lot of quality,» said Atletico midfielder Koke. «We struggled at first, but we found a way to recover. It was a great effort from the whole team.»

In the other quarter-final on Tuesday, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain edged past Liverpool to win 2-0 for an aggregate score of 4-0.

The match in Madrid was halted for a few moments near the 70th minute as Atletico defender Matteo Ruggieri suffered a cut on his forehead after being elbowed by Barcelona midfielder Gavi during a dispute over the ball.

Yamal opened the scoring four minutes into the match at the Metropolitano Stadium, entering the area clear of defenders after Atletico lost possession following a passing error by defender Clément Lenglet.

With his goal, Yamal became the top scorer of the Champions League under 19s with 11, one more than Kylian Mbappé.

The visitor extended their lead on the evening by leveling the score at 2-2 in the 24th, with Torres collecting a through ball from Dani Olmo and finding the top corner at the far post.

Fermín López almost scored the third a minute later, but his close-range header was saved by Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso.

The hosts hit back in the 31st, with Lookman scoring from inside the box on a breakaway after Marcos Llorente’s low cross.

Barcelona thought they had leveled the series, but Torres’ goal in the 57th minute was disallowed for offside.

Defender Ronald Araujo had Barcelona’s last chance, but his close-range header went over the crossbar in stoppage time.

«We are disappointed. We had a lot of chances, especially in the first half. We had the chance to score a third goal, but instead we conceded,» said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick. «That’s just the way football is. We have to do better, but in the end the team gave everything in terms of mentality and attitude. They did a fantastic job, but we just couldn’t get through.»

Simeone kept Musso in goal instead of promoting the return of regular starter Jan Oblak, who has recovered from a muscle injury but has not played since March 10.

Atletico can end the week on Saturday with the Copa del Rey title. It will face Real Sociedad to try to win the league for the first time since 2013.

Published on April 15, 2026