Atletico beats Inter on penalties to reach Champions League quarterfinals. Oblak makes two saves
MADRID (AP) ā With tears in his eyes, Diego Simeone stared at the Atletico Madrid fans celebrating in the Metropolitano Stadium stands.
Minutes earlier, the coach was pacing back and forth by the sideline, unable to watch the tense penalty shootout that ended with Atletico triumphing over Inter Milan and advancing to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Jan Oblak made two saves and Lautaro MartiĢnez sent his shot over the crossbar as Atletico defeated Inter 3-2 on penalties after scoring a late winner in regulation on Wednesday.
āIt was moving,ā Simeone said. āIām happy for the players and for the fans. We are among the best eight teams in Europe again. That tells a lot about this club.ā
Oblak saved the penalties by Alexis SaĢnchez and Davy Klaassen before MartiĢnez missed the final kick for last year's runner-up in the European competition.
"In the end itās a bit about luck in the shootout," Oblak said. āBecause you have to choose the correct side and you have to make the stop. If the player takes the kick perfectly, itās impossible to stop it. Gladly, I was able to make the saves. What matters is the victory and that we made it to the quarterfinals.ā
Memphis Depay, Rodrigo Riquelme and AĢngel Correa converted their penalties for Atletico, with SauĢl NĢiĢguez having his shot saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi scored for the visitors in the shootout.
Atletico reversed the 1-0 first-leg loss after Depay scored an 87th-minute goal that gave Simeoneās team a 2-1 win in regulation.
Atletico didn't make it past the group stage last season and was eliminated by Manchester City in the last eight in 2021-22.
Inter, which lost last yearās final to Man City, had arrived at the Metropolitano Stadium enjoying a 13-game winning streak. It hadnāt lost in 15 consecutive games in all competitions and had won all of its matches in 2024.
"We must be proud of what we did in this Champions League," Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. "In the second half we should have done better. In extra time we had more energy but unfortunately we made too many mistakes.ā
Inter opened the scoring in regulation with Federico Dimarco in the 33rd, but Atletico equalized two minutes later with Antoine Griezmann in his return from injury.
In the other Champions League match Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund defeated PSV Eindhoven 2-0 at home to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
The eight teams in the draw for the quarterfinals 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 Atletico pressing forward from the start and Inter threatening on counterattacks.
The hosts dominated the final part of the match and created several chances until Depay broke through with the late winner with a low shot from inside the area after a nice set up by midfielder Koke ResurreccioĢn.
Inter had increased its first-leg lead with Dimarco scoring with a low shot from the middle of the area after a pass by Nicolo Barella following a breakaway in the 33rd.
But it didnāt take long for Atletico to answer, equalizing a couple of minutes later with Griezmann scoring after picking up a loose ball inside the area.
Griezmann was making his return 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 hadnāt scored in eight consecutive matches in all competitions.
Barella had a chance to add Interās second goal in a breakaway in the 82nd but he got off a weak shot in a one-on-one situation with Oblak. Depay had hit the post in the 85th, a few minutes after coming off the bench to replace AĢlvaro Morata.
Riquelme came close to sealing Atleticoās triumph in the third minute of stoppage time in regulation, but his shot from near the penalty spot missed over the crossbar. Simeone dropped to the ground after the ball sailed over the net.
Atletico arrived with a great home record but had won only two of its last nine matches in all competitions.
The Champions League represents Atleticoās last realistic chance for a title this season. It was eliminated in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and sits in fourth place in the Spanish league, 14 points behind leader Real Madrid.
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