JADON SANCHO’s Borussia Dortmund dominated this tie in reverse thanks to a howitzer from Manchester United’s old friend Marcel Sabitzer.
Chelsea loan-outs Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen had given the hosts a 2-0 lead at half-time, with it 3-2 on aggregate.
DORTMUND IS ON PAR WITH THIS! Just ? check out this pass from Mats Hummels ? ? #UCL ? @TNTSports
But Diego Simeone’s half-time three-pointer paid off and gave Atletico back the lead thanks to an own goal from Mats Hummels and a volley from Angel Correa.
The drama and goals kept coming, just like in this thrilling quarter-final round.
And after Niclas Fullkrug equalised on aggregate, Sabitzer, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Old Trafford under Sancho, took the win.
Sancho, who came on through United after a tussle with Erik ten Hag, failed to score still inspired before retiring in the 86th minute as the crowd shouted his name.
The goal-fest started earlier, but Sabitzer thwarted from six yards, allowing Cesar Azpilicueta to make a heroic save before Alvaro Morata deflected.
Dortmund took the lead in the 34th minute when a delightful pass from Hummels without the outside of his foot found Brandt, who sank it from a tight angle.
Atleti goalkeeper Jan Oblak would possibly have two hundred blank pages for the club in a magnificent decade of service, but he won too softly in this one.
A two-in-five minutes when Sabitzer returned the ball to Maatsen to burst into the box and explode brilliantly low into the far corner.
SPECIAL BET – GET £40 IN FREE BETS WITH BETFRED
While his team sank a trail, Simeone acted by making a hat-trick of substitutions at half-time, with Correa coming on and Azpilicueta and Morata flying.
And 3 minutes after the restart, his side had levelled at 3-3 on aggregate when Mario Hermoso’s header from a corner hit Hummels’ cleats and jumped over the line.
Simeone hit the bridge with his face dramatically buried in the turf as he reacted to Correa’s agonizing kick before the hour mark.
Argentina’s Correa asked his coach to hug his team seven minutes later, but only after a superb volley over the bar after his initial shot was blocked.
By then, Atleti had to go out to qualify.
But the tie was reversed when Fullkrug first unleashed a crisp header for the hosts, then Sabitzer fired a rocket with a left-footed shot too hot for Oblak to handle.
That set up a semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain and propelled Germany past England in the race for a fifth Champions League qualifying spot for next season’s competition.
Scroll down to see what the adjustment was like. . .
©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered Office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. “The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trade marks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided under News Group Newspapers’ Limited’s popular terms and situations in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. To inquire about a license to reproduce material, please visit our distribution site. Check out our online press kit. For other requests, please contact us. To view all of The Sun’s content, please use the site map. Sun’s website is regulated through the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO).
Our hounds try to be precise, but we make mistakes. For more main points about our complaints policy and to register a complaint, please click on this link: thesun. co. uk/editorial-complaints/