Atletico Madrid has reached the Champions League semifinals for the first time since the 2016/17 season, following a thrilling 3-2 aggregate victory over Barcelona. Diego Simeone's team took a 2-0 lead into the second leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, but Barcelona spectacularly wiped out their advantage within 25 minutes, thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres. However, Atletico regained their composure and restored their aggregate lead when Ademola Lookman finished off a sweeping move.
The match saw several key moments, including Eric Garcia's red card for bringing down Alexander Sorloth, which effectively ended Barcelona's hopes of a comeback. Atletico will now face the winner of the tie between Arsenal and Sporting in the semifinals, with the first leg scheduled for April 28 or 29 and the second leg on May 5 or 6. The victory marked a significant milestone for Atletico, with Yamal becoming the youngest player to record 20 goal involvements in Champions League history at 18 years and 275 days old. The team's performance was praised by Kris Boyd, who noted that Atletico's game management and ability to hit Barcelona on the counter-attack were key factors in their success.
Atletico's Koke and Barcelona's Frenkie De Jong also shared their thoughts on the match, with Koke expressing his team's excitement and De Jong reflecting on the disappointment of being knocked out in the quarterfinals.