Atletico Madrid secured a spot in 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 team initially took a 2-0 lead into the second leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, but their advantage was dramatically overturned within 25 minutes as Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scored for Barcelona.
However, Atletico regained their composure and restored their aggregate lead when Ademola Lookman finished off a sweeping move. The introduction of Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski failed to spark a Barcelona comeback, and any remaining hopes were dashed when Eric Garcia was sent off for bringing down Alexander Sorloth. 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 stated that he and his teammates must not view a comeback as a miracle, and his efforts on the pitch soon proved this statement correct. Within seconds of the first whistle, he forced goalkeeper Juan Musso to tip his effort around the post, and inside four minutes, he scored the opener.
This made him the youngest player to achieve 20 goal involvements in Champions League history at 18 years and 275 days old. Torres soon levelled the tie, but Atletico re-established their aggregate lead when Marcos Llorente delivered a perfect cross for Lookman to sweep in. Despite the introduction of Rashford and Lewandowski, Barcelona's expected onslaught did not materialize, and they were ultimately knocked out of the competition. Atletico's Koke expressed his team's thrill at eliminating a team of Barcelona's caliber, while Barcelona's Frenkie De Jong acknowledged that luck was not on their side but remained optimistic about their team's growth and potential.