Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals after a tense penalty shootout victory, prevailing 4-2 on penalties against rivals Atletico Madrid, following a 1-0 defeat after extra time on Wednesday.
Atletico dominated for much of the game at the Metropolitano Stadium, with Diego Simeone’s side outplaying the 15-time European champions. Despite the pressure, Madrid, who have never been eliminated by Atletico in the competition, fought back after Conor Gallagher’s first-minute goal to secure a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Thibaut Courtois was key for Madrid, making a series of crucial saves to deny Julian Alvarez, while Vinicius Junior missed a penalty for Madrid, blasting it high and wide.
Atletico looked poised to end their European woes against Madrid, but once again, Los Blancos displayed their trademark resilience, ultimately taking the tie to penalties.
The shootout began with Atletico’s Julian Alvarez scoring, but his effort was ruled out after a slip caused him to touch the ball twice. Marcos Llorente then missed for Atletico, while Antonio Rudiger stepped up for Madrid, scoring the decisive penalty to send the reigning champions through.
Atletico had played cautiously in the first leg, opting to take a single-goal deficit back to the hostile Metropolitano, where they hoped to turn the tie in their favor. This was the first Champions League derby between the two sides at Atletico’s new stadium, after Real Madrid eliminated Atletico in the 2017 semi-finals at the Vicente Calderon.
Having suffered heartbreaking defeats to Madrid in the 2014 and 2016 finals (the latter on penalties), and with previous eliminations in all other encounters, Atletico was desperate to rewrite the narrative.
The match got off to a blistering start when Gallagher scored just 27 seconds into the game, leveling the tie on aggregate. A low ball from Rodrigo De Paul on the right was poorly cleared by Raul Asencio, and Gallagher capitalized, firing past Courtois from close range.
Atletico then settled into a deep defensive shape, content to absorb pressure as Madrid dominated possession, but they remained dangerous on the counter. Courtois was called into action, producing strong saves to deny Alvarez twice before halftime.
The Belgian goalkeeper continued to shine in the second half, keeping Atletico at bay as they sought a second goal, while Madrid’s Jan Oblak remained untested.
As Atletico gained control of the match, Carlo Ancelotti made changes, bringing on Eduardo Camavinga and Lucas Vazquez to inject fresh energy into the team. Soon after, Madrid produced their best attacking move of the game, with Vinicius, Jude Bellingham, and Kylian Mbappe linking up on a lightning-fast counter.
Mbappe was brought down by Clement Lenglet just as he was about to shoot, earning Madrid a penalty. Despite missing penalties earlier in the season against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao, Ancelotti chose Vinicius as the taker. But under intense pressure from the jeering Atletico fans, the Brazilian fired high and wide, missing the chance to put Madrid ahead.
Atletico had their own near-miss in the dying seconds of regular time, with Angel Correa blasting a half-volley just over the crossbar, sending the game into extra time.
Both sides looked exhausted in the additional period, but Madrid edged the play. Mbappe converted his penalty in the shootout, sending Oblak the wrong way, with Bellingham following suit after Atletico’s Alexander Sorloth had scored.
Alvarez’s penalty was ruled out after a VAR review, as his slip caused him to touch the ball twice. Oblak saved Vazquez’s weak penalty, giving Atletico a glimmer of hope, but Llorente then hit the bar with his attempt.
Finally, Rudiger stepped up and, despite Oblak diving the right way, the goalkeeper couldn’t keep it out. Madrid secured their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Arsenal.
