In a tie deemed to be a tactical masterclass, Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan went into extra time and later penalties where Atletico Madrid emerged victorious and secured their seventh quarterfinals in the last ten years in the UEFA Champions League.
Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan: A memorable night at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium!
Atletico Madrid came into the tie at home with a 1-0 deficit after losing to Inter in the first leg away from home. Inter Milan on the other hand came into the game on the back of an undefeated 15 game run making them one of the most difficult sides to beat this year. However, Diego Pablo Simeone’s men were backed by a 70,000 strong army in the stadium.
The game started with Inter Milan having to fall back due to the constant pressure from the wings by Samuel Lino and Nahuel Molina. However, the I Nerazzurri were the first ones to score as Dimarco scored from a beautiful ball played by Nico Barella. Down 2-0 on aggregate, many started to believe that the tie was already over, but not Atleti. Los Colchoneros kept pushing and scored only two minutes later, as a deflected ball made its way to star man Antoine Griezmann in ample space. The Frenchman back from injury expertly put the ball into the back of the net to draw Atleti level on the day.
In the second half, Atletico continued pushing and created numerous chances, but failed to capitalize on most. It seemed that the Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan tie would end in a draw at the Wanda Metropolitano and Inter would qualify for the next stage on aggregate score, but Memphis Depay had other ideas. Three minutes from the 90 minute mark, Memphis banged the ball into the back of Sommer’s next to give Atleti the lead on the night and draw on aggregate score. The goal forced the game into extra time and subsequently into the second penalty shootout in as many nights in the UEFA Champions League.
Jan Oblak’s heroics secure victory for Los Colchoneros in Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan
Penalty shootouts for Atletico Madrid have a bad memory attached to them as the side lost the 2016 UCL final against Real Madrid on penalties. However, this time around Jan Oblak decided to etch his name into Atletico’s history with a brilliant showing in the penalty shootout. The Slovenian keeper saved two crucial penalties taken by Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen. Captain Lautaro Martinez missed his penalty as well as he skied it off target. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid scored all three of their penalties. The shootout in the Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan tie ended 3-2 and Los Colchoneros secured their spot in the quarterfinals.
This is the seventh time Atletico Madrid have qualified to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals in the last ten years! To put it into context, before 2014, the club had qualified only five times.
Also Read: Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan Player Ratings Following Jan Oblak’s Shootout Heroics