Atletico Madrid has reached the Champions League semifinals for the first time since the 2016/2017 season, following a thrilling 3-2 aggregate victory over Barcelona. Diego Simeone's side took a 2-0 lead into the second leg, but their advantage was short-lived as Barcelona scored two goals within 25 minutes, courtesy of Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres.
However, Atletico regained their composure and restored their aggregate lead when Ademola Lookman finished off a well-crafted move. The match took a decisive turn when Eric Garcia was sent off for bringing down Alexander Sorloth, effectively ending 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. Yamal had earlier made history by becoming the youngest player to record 20 goal involvements in Champions League history at just 18 years and 275 days old.
The LaLiga leaders had levelled the tie, but Atletico's sweeping counter-attack, capped off by Lookman's goal, re-established their aggregate lead. Despite the introduction of Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona's attack lacked bite, and their chances of a comeback were ultimately extinguished. Atletico's victory has set up an intriguing semifinal clash, with Kris Boyd praising the team's game management and ability to hit Barcelona on the counter-attack. Atletico's Koke expressed his team's delight at eliminating a top-level team like Barcelona, while Frenkie De Jong reflected on Barcelona's exit, believing that luck was not on their side.