Madrid [Spain], April 15 : Atletico Madrid reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time in nine years after surviving a strong comeback attempt from Barcelona in the quarter-finals at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday.
Despite losing the second leg 1-2 to Barcelona, Diego Simeone's side progressed 3-2 on aggregate thanks to their first-leg advantage, according to the UEFA Champions League website.
Barcelona started brilliantly and scored early through Lamine Yamal in the 4th minute. Ferran Torres then levelled the tie on aggregate in the 24th minute with a powerful strike, putting the visitors in control.
However, Atletico responded quickly as their forward, Ademola Lookman, scored in the 31st minute to restore their aggregate lead, giving the home side a crucial advantage going into halftime.
In the second half, Barcelona pushed hard for another goal, introducing attacking players like Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford, but Atletico Madrid defended strongly and held their shape. The match turned further in Atletico's favour when Eric Garcia was sent off after being shown the red card in the 79th minute for a last-man foul.
Barcelona continued to fight until the end but could not find the decisive goal, with Ronald Araujo missing a late header in stoppage time. Atletico held on to secure a place in the semi-finals, where they will face either Arsenal or Sporting CP.
The result marked a third quarter-final triumph for Atletico over Barcelona in the Champions League. They previously won 2-1 on aggregate in 2013/14 (1-1 away, 1-0 home) and 3-2 on aggregate in 2015/16 (1-2 away, 2-0 home), according to the UEFA Champions League website.
Barcelona's win on the night was Atletico's first defeat in 11 home meetings with Spanish opposition in UEFA fixtures (Wins: 8, Defeats: 2).
Additionally, the 2-1 loss was Atletico's first home defeat in a Champions League knockout match since March 1997, when they lost 3-2 to Ajax in the second leg of a quarter-final tie.
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