Atletico Madrid secured a spot in the Champions League semifinals for the first time since the 2016/2017 season, following a 3-2 aggregate victory over Barcelona. Diego Simeone's team initially took a 2-0 lead into the second leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano but saw their advantage erased within 25 minutes as Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scored for Barcelona. However, Atletico regained their composure and restored their aggregate lead through Ademola Lookman's goal.
The match saw little action from Barcelona in the second half, despite the introduction of Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski. Eric Garcia's red card with 11 minutes remaining sealed Barcelona's fate, and Atletico will now face the winner of the Arsenal and Sporting tie in the semifinals. The first leg is scheduled for April 28 or 29, with the second leg on May 5 or 6.
Yamal had earlier stated that his team should not view a comeback as a miracle, and his performance justified this statement. He forced goalkeeper Juan Musso into action within seconds of the whistle and scored the opener shortly after. Torres then levelled the tie, but Atletico re-established their aggregate lead through Lookman's goal. Despite a disallowed goal from Torres and the introduction of Rashford and Lewandowski, Barcelona failed to mount a significant comeback.
The sending-off of Garcia and a late missed chance by Ronald Araujo ended Barcelona's hopes of reaching the semifinals. Atletico's victory was attributed to their game management, with Kris Boyd noting that they were in control and able to counter-attack effectively. Koke expressed his team's delight at eliminating a strong Barcelona side, while Frenkie De Jong felt that luck had not been on their side.