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MADRID (AP) — With tears in his eyes, Diego Simeone watched Atletico Madrid fans celebrate in the stands at Estadio Metropolitano.
Minutes earlier, the coach paced back and forth on the sidelines, unable to witness the tense penalty shootout that ended with Atletico beating Inter Milan and qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Jan Oblak made two saves and Lautaro Martinez sent his shot over the crossbar as Atletico beat Inter 3-2 in the aftermath after scoring the winner in regulation time on Wednesday.
“It’s emotional,” Simeone said. I’m satisfied for the players and the fans. Once again we are one of the 8 most sensible groups in Europe. That says a lot about this club.
Oblak stored the aftermath of Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen before Martinez missed the last shot of last year’s European runner-up.
“In the end, it’s a bit of luck in the penalty shootout,” Oblak said. “Because you have to decide on the right side and you have to prevent. If the player executes the shot perfectly, it’s to avoid. “it. Fortunately, I was able to do what prevents the victory and we made it to the quarterfinals.
Memphis Depay, Rodrigo Riquelme and Angel Correa changed the consequences for Atletico, and Saul Niguez had his shot saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi scored in the penalty shootout.
Atletico overturned a 1-0 first-leg loss after Depay scored an 87th-minute goal that gave Simeone a 2-1 victory in regulation time.
Atletico outgrew the organisational level last season and were eliminated via Manchester City in the knockout levels in 2021-22.
Inter, who lost last year’s final to Man City, arrived at the Estadio Metropolitano on a 13-game winning streak. They had lost 15 consecutive matches in all competitions and had won all their matches in 2024.
“We have to be proud of what we have done in this Champions League,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We did better in the second half. In extra time we had more power, but unfortunately we made too many mistakes. “
Inter opened the scoring in normal time through Federico Dimarco in the 33rd minute, but Atletico equalised two minutes later with Antoine Griezmann returning from injury.
In Wednesday’s Champions League match, Borussia Dortmund beat PSV Eindhoven 2-0 at home to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
The eight groups decided for the quarter-finals are Atletico, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona.
Open game at the Metropolitano, with Atlético urgent from the start and Inter threatening on the counter.
The hosts dominated the final part of the match and created several chances until Depay broke through with the winner’s goal with a low shot from inside the box after a great play by midfielder Koke Resurrección.
Inter had extended their lead in the first leg with Dimarco scoring with a low shot from the centre of the box off a pass from Nicolo Barella following a breakaway in the minute.
But Atletico didn’t take long to respond, equalizing a few minutes later thanks to a goal from Griezmann after collecting a loose ball in the box.
Griezmann returns to action after twisting his ankle in the first leg in Italy 3 weeks ago. The French striker has been key for Atletico this season but has failed to score in 8 consecutive games in all competitions.
Barella had a chance to score Inter’s second goal in a breakaway in the 82nd minute, but he controlled a weak shot in a one-on-one with Oblak. Depay hit the post in the 85th minute, a few minutes after coming off the bench. to update Alvaro Morata.
Riquelme came close to sealing Atletico’s win in the 3rd minute of stoppage time but his shot from near the penalty spot missed the crossbar. Simeone fell to the ground after the ball went through the net.
Atletico arrived with a home record but have won just two of their last nine games in all competitions.
The Champions League represents Atletico’s last realistic chance to make a name for themselves this season. They were eliminated in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and are in fourth place in the Spanish league, 14 times ahead of Real Madrid.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews. com/hub/soccer