In a thrilling quarter-final clash at a packed-out Metropolitano, Atletico Madrid overcame 10-man Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate to secure a place in the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League.
While the home side watched Lamine Yamal (4′) and Ferran Torres (24′) level the score for a slick Barcelona at 2-2, Ademola Lookman netted the match-winning goal on 31 minutes when he finished off a wonderful cross from Marcos Llorente.
With some brilliant Barcelona counter-attacks in an unforgettable clash of the La Liga rivals, Diego Simeone’s side can now prepare to face either Arsenal or Sporting in their first Champions League semi-final in 2017.
They have also encountered some glaring mistakes that enabled them to beat Barcelona in the Champions League at this point for the third time.
Just a week after Pau Cubarsi was sent off for a last man tackle in the 2-0 defeat at the Camp Nou, Eric Garcia was also sent off for the same reason, this time in the 79th minute, and Barca finished the game with 10 players for the second time in a week.
After leveling the score with an excellent strike from Dani Olmo, Torres thought he had bagged Barca’s third goal in the fifty-seventh minute, but VAR ruled he had been caught offside.
