Whoever has a goalkeeper and a center forward has a treasure. Atlético has clung to that to knock off the European runners-up and get into the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Memphis took the team to overtime and Oblak was decisive in the penalties on a dream night that will take a while to forget in which it was necessary to come back from 0-1 and in which Riquelme failed, in the last play of regulation time, a called goal that would have avoided the final agony. What a way to suffer! But this time, for the better.
Atlético came out brave and ambitious, stepping into the area and provoking the reaction of a stadium that he didn't need more than a small signal to respond as appropriate. Before the two minutes of play were up Llorente He was a handful of centimeters away from finishing off a cross from the left and then Savic nodded to the hands of Sommer. It was a harmless attempt, but enough to mark the territory. Especially when after four minutes Lino pierced the band like a dagger and forced the Swiss goalkeeper, now, to show the best of his repertoire.
Aware that his team's departure had managed to disconcert Inter, Simeone insisted that the attack continue, but it didn't take long for the Italians to pull out their nails. At 12 minutes Morata he lost a ball that led to a counterattack that led to Dumfrieswho shot twice in the area so that Oblak responded with confidence.
Dumfries' scratch calmed Atlético, who saw the wolf's ears and put on the handbrake, especially when Witsel had to intervene in extremis to prevent a lateral pass from Dimarco It will not reach you only in the area Marcus Thuram. Inter began to overcome lines more easily while getting close to Sommer became more and more difficult. The party was turning towards an unwanted place when Morata responded with a header which the goalkeeper stopped, but managed to turn the stands back on.
Two goals in a row
Atlético once again believed in the miracle, but at the most unexpected moment they suffered a blow in the middle of the waterline when An error in the defensive retreat allowed Dimarco to finish at will in the area a pass Stretcher and beat Oblak at point blank range. All seemed lost, but just a couple of minutes later Bastoni made a mistake for the first time tonight and enabled Griezmann, who beat Sommer with an unappealable left foot that not only served to tie the game, but also to prove that Inter were not unbeatable.
What remained of the first half was agony for the Italians, who found themselves subjected to the siege of an Atlético with faith completely recovered. Griezmann drew a wonderful movement in the area, but his compatriot Pavard blocked the way for him to score when Sommer was already defeated. Antoine He lamented and Simeone despaired, but it did not reach 2-1 and all the work was left for the second act of a devilish night from the beginning.
Atlético did not lower the intensity upon returning from the locker room and His was the first opportunity of the second halfwhen in the 51st minute Griezmann came from behind to finish a pass from Llorente, but the ball fell to his right and He couldn't give his shot the power and placement necessary to surpass Sommer, once again impeccable in the face of any requirement. Morata also tried it at 59, in an action in which the Madrid native lacked intelligence because he had Antoine completely alone behind him.
Little by little Atlético was losing steam and Inter breathed again because they managed to retain the ball and keep their enemy away from the area. Simeone noticed it and didn't take long to move. Correa y Riquelme They entered the game By Paul y Lino and Griezmann dropped back to midfield in a move that was as risky as it was necessary because what was happening on the field was clearly not enough. Especially because the Italians, despite seeming asleep in attack, were simply waiting for his opportunity. At 75 minutes Thuram stepped into the area alonebut he lacked precision due to Inzaghi's desperation.
Memphis…and Riquelme
Memphis y Barrios They replaced Nahuel and Morata, who were crying out for a change, and Atlético entered the last 10 minutes with just enough fuel and half-finished faith, but this time Cholo had found exactly the right thing with the Dutch striker, which first caused Pavard to cross in the area, then he shot the post and, finally, At 87 minutes, he beat Sommer with a cross shot to take the game to extra time and the stadium to ecstasy. The extension would not have been necessary, but Riquelme, with everything at his pleasure, shot over the crossbar.
What until then had been excellent refereeing left an unforgivable blot on the team in extra time. forgive the expulsion of Thuram, who grabbed Savic's testicles. The images left no room for doubt, but the VAR inhibited itself due to the indignation of the red-and-white bench, who were watching on the monitor as if a textbook red card had been forgotten. Inzaghi, intelligent, did not take more than a couple of minutes to switch to the Frenchman.
Griezmann's ankle couldn't last the second half of extra time and the Frenchman ended up on the bench so that he could enter Saul to a match that no longer gave any more of itself because the physical demands had been extreme. Penalties decided the tie and there Oblak was decisive, stopping two shots while Atlético only failed in Saúl's shot. Lautaro took the last shot over the crossbar, with Simeone's back turned without wanting to look, and the fans made the stadium shake to celebrate the historic qualification for the quarterfinals.