MADRID (AP) – With tears in his eyes, Diego Simeone looked at Atletico Madrid fans celebrating in the stands at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Minutes earlier, the coach had been pacing back and forth from the sidelines, unable to watch the tense penalty shootout that ended with Atlético winning over Inter Milan and advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Jan Oblak made two saves and Lautaro Martínez sent his shot over the crossbar as Atletico beat Inter 3-2 on penalties after scoring a winner late in regulation on Wednesday.
“It was moving,” Simeon said. “I am happy for the players and the fans. We are again one of the best eight teams in Europe. “It says a lot about this club.”
Oblak saved penalties from Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen before Martínez, last year’s runner-up in the European competition, missed the final kick.
“In the end it’s about luck in the shootout,” Oblak said. “Because you have to choose the right side and you have to stay. If the player takes the kick perfectly, it is impossible to stop it. Glad I was able to save myself. What matters is the win and that we have made it to the quarterfinals.”
Memphis Depay, Rodrigo Riquelme and Angel Correa converted their penalties for Atlético, while Saul Siguez’s shot was saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi scored for the visiting team in the shootout.
Atlético overturned a 1–0 defeat in the first leg after Depay’s 87th-minute goal gave Simeone’s side a 2–1 victory in regulation time.
Atletico failed to progress past the group stage last season and were knocked out by Manchester City in the last eight in 2021-22.
Inter, who lost to Man City in last year’s final, arrived at the Metropolitano Stadium enjoying a 13-game winning streak. They had not lost in 15 consecutive games in all competitions and won all their matches in 2024.
“We should be proud of what we did in this Champions League,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We should have performed better in the second half. “We had more energy in extra time but unfortunately we made a lot of mistakes.”
Inter opened the scoring in regulation with Federico DiMarco scoring in the 33rd minute, but Atlético equalized two minutes later with Antoine Griezmann returning from injury.
In other Champions League matches on Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund beat PSV Eindhoven 2-0 at home to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
The eight teams in the draw for the quarter-finals are Atletico, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona.
It was an open match at the Metropolitano Stadium, with Atlético ahead from the start and Inter threatening on the counter-attack.
The hosts dominated the final half of the match and created several chances until Depay scored a late winner with a low shot from inside the area after a good set-up from midfielder Koke Resurreccion.
Inter had extended their first-leg lead in the 33rd with DiMarco scoring with a low shot from the middle of the area following Nicolo Barella’s pass following a breakaway.
But it didn’t take long for Atlético to respond, with Griezmann equalizing the score a few minutes later after picking up a loose ball inside the area.
Griezmann was returning to action after spraining his ankle in the first leg in Italy three weeks ago. The France forward has been key for Atletico this season, but has failed to score in eight consecutive matches in all competitions.
Barela had a chance to score Inter’s second goal on a breakaway in the 82nd, but missed a weak shot in a one-on-one with Oblak. Depay hit the post in the 85th, minutes after coming off the bench to replace Alvaro Morata.
Riquelme came close to sealing Atlético’s victory in the third minute of regulation time, but his shot from near the penalty spot missed the top of the crossbar. Simeone fell to the ground after the ball went through the net.
Atlético came in with an excellent home record but had won only two of their last nine matches in all competitions.
The Champions League represents Atlético’s last realistic chance for the title this season. It was eliminated in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and is fourth in the Spanish league, 14 points behind leader Real Madrid.
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