Jan Oblak was the hero as Atletico Madrid reached the Champions League quarterfinals after an epic penalty shoot-out victory over Inter Milan.
The first two penalties were extraordinary. Both Hakan Calhanoglu and Memphis Depay almost took the net off the frame of the goal. Alex Sanchez then sent a tame shot straight down the middle and Oblak saved. Yann Sommer saved from Saul but it didn’t matter because Oblak was inspired and he then pushed away Davy Klaassen’s kick.
Rodrigo Riquelme scored and so did Francesco Acerbi. Angel Correa then hammered his kick home in the style of the first two and when Lautaro Martinez skied the last kick of Inter’s five it was Diego Simeone and Atletico and not Simone Inzaghi and Inter going through.
Simeone had been flat on his face in his own technical area after Riquelme had missed the chance to win this game 30 seconds from the end of time.
He threw himself down in disbelief having previously seen Memphis Depay’s late goal make it 2-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate. But he was celebrating at full-time after the shoot-out drama.
This was always going to be the tie of the last-16. Inzaghi’s team had won all 12 games played in 2024 but few teams get to take anything away from the Metropolitano – Atletico had won 18 of their 20 games at home this season.
The home team started at hurricane speed in search of the opening goal but
they were always going to be more effective running forward than running back and from one dangerous counter attack on 33 minutes Nicolo Barella got away down the left and when he pulled the ball back to Federico Dimarco who scored.
It did not slow Atletico down and they responded just two minutes later through Antoine Griezmann. His compatriot Benjamin Pavard skewed a volleyed clearance from Koke’s pass and when it dropped to Griezmann he spun and shot past Sommer. That made it 1-1 and 2-1 on aggregate.
Griezmann had come back from an injury sustained in the first leg to score his sixth Champions League goal of the season putting him joint top scorer with Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane. Only a block from Pavard stopped him putting Atletico ahead on the night and level on aggregate just before half time. And he had the first second half chance but Sommer saved.
With 15 minutes left Marcus Thuram should have finished it but he blazed over after Lautaro Memphis had put him through. That was the cue for Simeone to take off Alvaro Morata and put on Memphis and he almost scored on the turn from inside the six-yard box from Correa’s cross but Pavard blocked again.
Inter broke immediately and again fail to convert for what would have been a decisive second goal on the night. This time it was Barella culpable. He hit the target but Oblak saved his shot. They were going to pay for these misses. And it would be Memphis who would make them pay. First he hit the foot of a post with a low shot, then he went one better.
There were three minutes of normal time left when the goal came. Koke rolled it through to him and he turned Stefan de Vrij and rifled across Sommer into the far corner.
Inter were now desperately hanging on and with 30 seconds left of the three added minutes Griezmann crossed and Riquelme should have won the tie but he fired over. Simeone fell full length in his technical area.
He was down but Atletico were not out and on penalties they made it into Friday’s draw.
