Sid Lowe was at Estadio Metropolitano and his report is in. Here it is! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
That Alvarez double-touch. It’s not the clearest evidence. The slightest of touches with the left foot when he slides in. Perhaps. Who’d be a VAR?
Álvarez's penalty is overturned by VAR after a double touch 😳
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That was a brilliant match from the moment Conor Gallagher lit the touchpaper after 28 seconds. Atlético were the best side during the 90 minutes, even though Vinícius Júnior had the chance to win the match, only to blast his penalty wildly into the stand. Real perhaps edged extra-time, though both teams had their chances. And then the penalty shoot-out, and oh boy, oh my, ooo wee. Julián Alvarez adjudged by VAR to have kicked the ball with both feet, having slipped. Marcos Llorente bothering the underside of the bar. Antonio Rudiger’s terrible penalty squeezing in. Diego Simeone is a picture of bewilderment and impotent anger, the bread having fallen jam-side up for Real Madrid against his side in the Champions League yet again. Another dramatic defeat for Atlético. Another that will take an awfully long time for them to get over. As for Real, they got away with a sub-par performance tonight, and now face Arsenal in the quarters.
RESULT: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (aet; agg: 2-2, Real win 4-2 on pens)
… and so Real Madrid found a way. In the Champions League, Real Madrid always find a way.
PENALTIES: Atléti 2-4 Real; Real through to the quarter finals!
Oblak was so close to saving that penalty, but he couldn’t do it. Rudiger’s spot-kick sailed at the slo-o-owest speed into the net, bringing with it more heartbreak for Atlético, who can’t catch a break against their city rivals in the biggest competition of all. An irregular kick! You could not script this. Well, you could, but the producers of your film would throw it back in your face. Too absurd!
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PENALTIES: Atléti 2-4 Real. Rüdiger comes up for the win. Before he can get the ball, there’s a scuffle for it between Mbappe and Llorente. Then Rudiger takes … towards the bottom left … and Oblak gets a hand, but can’t stop the ball squirting through his fingers, down and up into the top left. Wow, wow, goodness me almighty. Real do it again!
PENALTIES: Atléti 2-3 Real. Llorente hammers his penalty …. off the underside of the bar! Wow. This has had everything.
PENALTIES: Atléti 2-3 Real. Lucas Vázquez goes to the right. Oblak parries a poorly hit kick. A chance for the hosts to level up now!
PENALTIES: Atléti 2-3 Real. Correa goes left. Courtois gets a hand to it, but can’t stop it. Here, do the home fans know the Alvarez kick has been chalked off? It’s not clear.
PENALTIES: Atléti 1-3 Real. Valverde slips into the bottom right. Oblak guessed correctly, but couldn’t get there.
Alvarez's penalty ruled a double-kick!
PENALTIES: Atléti 1-2 Real. Yep! Alvarez’s kick ruled out! He’s been ruled to have touched the ball with both feet. This is astonishing!
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PENALTIES: Atléti 2-2 Real. Valverde up … but before it can be taken, there’s a VAR check on Alvarez’s kick! Did he double kick it upon slipping?!
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PENALTIES: Atléti 2-2 Real. Alvarez slips slightly, but roofs it straight down the middle anyway! He looks slightly sheepish … and very relieved!
PENALTIES: Atléti 1-2 Real. Bellingham and Oblak exchange words. Bellingham pauses. Then gives Oblak the eyes and lashes into the bottom right. Another unstoppable one!
PENALTIES: Atléti 1-1 Real. Sørloth, formerly of Crystal Palace, blasts into the bottom right. Courtois went the wrong way, but even if he guessed correctly, he wasn’t stopping that!
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PENALTIES: Atléti 0-1 Real. Mbappé up first. He rolls it into the bottom right, sending Oblak the wrong way. Perfection.
The penalties will take place at the end most favoured by Atleli. Real will go first.
EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (agg: 2-2)
… but Camavinga heads clear. Then the whistle goes. Diego Simeone quietly punches the air in delight. He’s the happier coach. Penalties coming up!
ET 30 min: Alvarez wins a throw deep in Real territory. Azpilicueta prepares to Delap it into the mixer. In it goes …
ET 29 min: Mbappe tries to wriggle clear down the inside-left channel, but there’s no way through. Penalties looming. Either that or absurd drama.
ET 28 min: Sorloth wrestles his way down the left and wins a free kick. Alvarez to swing it into the box. It’s half cleared. Llorente, bombing in, lashes a shot wide right from the edge of the D. It’s a poor shot, but takes an obvious deflection off Fran Garcia. However the corner’s not awarded. Not for the first time during extra time, Atléti are incensed by a corner-related faux pas.
ET 26 min: Should this go to penalties, Vinícius Júnior won’t get the chance to put right his earlier miss. Endrick comes on in his stead.
ET 25 min: Mbappe wins a corner down the right. It’s easily cleared, and when Atléti counter, there’s a scuffle that leads to Llorente being booked, even though his team won the foul. Feelings running high all right.
ET 24 min: Azpilicueta is booked for a late clip on Bellingham. He’s really not happy about it, because while his foul is fully deserving of the punishment, the handball thing is still uppermost in his mind. The referee’s not to be moved.
ET 22 min: Azpilicueta’s pass infield is deliberately batted back by the hand of Bellingham, who is slightly fortunate to escape a booking. The fact the ball was going backwards towards Azpilicueta’s own goal probably influenced the referee’s non-decision.
ET 20 min: … so having said that, Llorente nearly tears clear of Camavinga down the right, only to be denied by a telescopic leg. The Metropolitano is absolutely bubbling.
ET 19 min: Now Lucas Vázquez wins a corner down the right. From it, Rudiger wins a header and nearly tees up Brahim Díaz. The hosts manage to hack clear. Real have moved through the gears and are on top now.
ET 18 min: Lucas Vázquez crosses from the right. Rudiger goes over in the vague environs of Gimenez, but he’s never getting a penalty for that saucy gambit.
ET 17 min: Bellingham slips a pass down the inside-right for Brahim Díaz, who upon entering the box has the chance to shoot. He pauses and looks to have run the ball out for a goal kick, but Real are awarded a corner. Probably a good thing for the space-time continuum that nothing comes from it.
The hosts get the second half of extra time underway. Diego Simeone marches around the dugout like a wild man, waving his arms manically, in the choir-conducting style. Carlo chews some gum.
EXTRA TIME, HALF TIME: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (agg: 2-2)
A see-saw period that teetered on a knife-edge. It’s in the balance!
ET 15 min +2: A free kick for Real just outside the Atléti box, on the right corner. Lucas Vázquez whips it witlessly into the side netting. All of his team-mates, having trotted upfield to load the box, say their piece.
ET 15 min: Bellingham bollocks Vinicius Junior for workrate-related issues. Meanwhile there will be two minutes of additional time.
ET 14 min: Molina crosses from the right. Courtois claims. Real counter through Vinícius Júnior, who dribbles in from the left but finds his cutback intercepted by Alvarez.
ET 12 min: Fran Garcia reaches the byline on the left but the hosts deal with the resulting cross. Real are looking as dangerous as they’ve been all evening right now. Which is not a high bar, but there it is.
ET 11 min: Valverde slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Vinicius, whose mere presence forces Correa to clank the ball out for a needless corner. Correa is fortunate that Lucas Vázquez’s delivery is no good.
ET 10 min: Barrios, deep on the right, sends a long diagonal into the box for Sorloth, who can’t execute his volley properly from the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Then up the other end, Valverde fizzes a cross through a crowded six-yard box … but it’s only populated by defenders. Nobody in white taking a gamble to make a run.
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ET 8 min: Reinildo can’t continue. He’s replaced by César Azpilicueta, the man who lifted the cup in 2021 for Chelsea.
ET 6 min: Vinícius Júnior romps down the right. He’s brilliantly stopped by Reinildo’s tackle, but the defender’s feeling his own challenge. Cramp. The game stops.
ET 5 min: Incidentally, Correa’s touch to bring down Oblak’s clearance was exquisite. A feathery cushion of a boot, while sprinting at warp speed.
ET 4 min: Brahim Díaz shoots straight at Oblak. Then Llorente crosses for Sorloth, who heads straight at the keeper. If the rest of extra time is going to be like this, we’ll be in for a 1982-World-Cup-style treat.
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ET 2 min: Fran Garcia advances down the left but his cross is picked off by Oblak. The hosts counter at speed through Correa, who takes down Oblak’s long punt and races down the right. He crosses low. Sorloth waits to tap home, only for Rudiger to arrive from nowhere and divert the ball behind for a corner, from which nothing comes.
Real Madrid get the first period of extra time underway. “Since you brought up divot stomping,” begins Darren Malloy, “there’s only one thing to say about Vini’s penalty: Big mistake. Big. Huge. If only I looked as good as Julia Roberts in that hat.”
FULL TIME: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (agg: 2-2)
The only goal came after 28 seconds. The action hardly stopped afterwards, though. What an entertaining game. Atlético the better side, yet Real had the chance to snatch it from the penalty spot. Oh Vinícius. To extra time! And maybe penalties!
90 min +4: Llorente has the opportunity to release Sorloth down the left but delays the pass and the resulting offside flag is inevitable.
90 min +3: De Paul can’t continue. He makes way for Nahuel Molina.
90 min +2: De Paul goes down again. More treatment.
90 min +1: There will be four additional minutes. De Paul spends the first of them getting his legs hoisted to relieve the cramp.
90 min: A simple long punt down the right. Correa, freshly on, romps into the box and beats Rudiger to the ball. Rudiger sticks to his left. From the byline, Correa spins and juggles his way back and around the defender, one dink, two dinks, before turning and larruping a vicious shot over the bar from a tight angle. That would have been an outrageous goal.
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89 min: A late double change for the hosts. Giuliano Simeone and Antoine Griezmann are replaced by Ángel Correa and Alexander Sørloth.
88 min: Simeone cuts in from the right and looks to be upended by Fran García, but the referee waves play on. The Metropolitano audibly not happy. Meanwhile in other volume news, John Alford reports from Madrid: “It’s suspiciously quiet on the streets but utter bedlam inside residential buildings.”
86 min: Conor Gallagher, whose legend at Atlético was assured after 28 seconds tonight, is replaced by Samuel Lino. He goes off to a great reception. Lino’s first act is to cream a shot goalwards from 25 yards, but it’s straight at Courtois.
84 min: Brahim Díaz and Lenglet come together as the former dances down the right. Brahim Díaz gets the decision. The free kick is swung in and half cleared, then Vazquez runs the ball out for a goal kick. With extra time looming, both teams, like poor Mendy’s hamstrings, are tightening up.
83 min: Mendy may not have done his hamstring, because he gets up and walks off the pitch easily enough. Cramp? Either way, he’s replaced by Fran García.
81 min: Vazquez wins a corner down the right. Nothing comes of it. Then Mendy goes down clutching the back of his leg. This looks like a night-ender.
79 min: Brahim Díaz comes on for Rodrygo. “Congratulations on being the first MBMer to introduce your readers to a polo pony,” writes Richard Hirst. “It begs the question of how you know how a polo pony moves?” Never mind that, but if this goes to extra time, expect everyone at the Metropolitano to spill onto the pitch for the traditional stomping of divots before the restart.
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77 min: Alvarez catches Mendy dozing on the ball just to the right of the Real box, nipping in and drawing a foul. The hosts load the box but Griezmann hoicks the free kick too close to Courtois, who claims with ease.
75 min: Griezmann has a dig from long range. Easy for Courtois. Real counter. Rodrygo enters the box from the right. A slightly heavy touch allows Reinildo the chance to extend a leg and block tackle. The window for that was small, the execution perfect. Anything else and it was another penalty. “We all know how this is going to end,” writes Simon McMahon. “I think Atletico have Real Real have Atlético right where they want them.”
73 min: Vinícius Júnior works hard to reach the byline to the left of the Atléti goal, then dinks to the far stick for Vazquez, who can’t quite get enough purchase on his header. Easy for Oblak. This is still heading to extra time. An additional 30 minutes of this? Yes please! Yes please!
72 min: Atléti, invigorated by the miss, go up the other end and nearly score themselves. Simeone sashays at speed down the inside-right channel before lashing a riser towards the top right. Courtois parries around the post. From the corner, Alvarez crosses long. Courtois claims this time. This match has suddenly, dramatically, excitingly, brilliantly exploded into life! It was pretty good before all that, to be fair.
Vinícius Júnior misses the penalty!
70 min: Vinícius Júnior leans back, and Chris Waddles his penalty high and wide right! An astonishing miss! The Metropolitano erupts! Diego Simeone conducts!
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Penalty for Real!
68 min: Gallagher crosses long from the left. Simeone nods down for Griezmann, who can’t control on the edge of the box. Real spring on the counter. Mbappe slaloms elegantly between Gimenez and Lenglet, and into the box. Lenglet brazenly brings his man down, and the referee points to the spot! Yellow for Lenglet.
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67 min: Simeone becomes the first Atlético player to go into the book, skittling Vinícius Júnior in the obvious fashion. A free kick out on the left. Lucas Vázquez swings it in, Oblak plucks it from the sky.
65 min: Real make a double change. Luka Modrić and Aurélien Tchouaméni are replaced by Eduardo Camavinga and Lucas Vázquez.
64 min: De Paul shovels a cute pass down the right but can’t find Alvarez in the Real box. Rudiger heads clear.
62 min: … but despite it all, the tie is still level, and heading to extra time as things stand. Will Atléti rue their failing to take further advantage of their dominance? Real prepare to make some changes.
60 min: Real’s defence is all over the shop. Rudiger’s mistake on the halfway line gives Simeone a chance to tear forward. Raul Ascencio comes across with a clattering slide tackle to stop a clear run on goal. But Simeone soon comes again at the Real defence, and this time Vinicius Jr is booked for a clip on Simeone’s ankle. From the resulting free kick, Lenglet heads harmlessly wide left when he should have hit the target at the very least.
58 min: Reinildo nearly gets the better of Raúl Asencio in a last-man footrace down the left. Nearly, but not quite. The Real man holding his line like a polo pony. A top-notch battle.
56 min: Rodrygo shimmies in from the right, a glorious dribble followed by a low cross. Bellingham prepares to slam home from six yards only to be denied by a fantastic last-ditch slide by Gimenez. For all Real’s struggles tonight, they were so close to retaking the lead in this tie there.
54 min: Mendy slips over from a standing start, under no pressure, almost exactly like Steven Gerrard so infamously all those years ago, allowing Simeone to tear off at warp speed down the right. He lays off for Llorente, whose cross-cum-shot takes a deflection off Mendy and loops over Courtois, nearly nestling in the top-right corner. Just over the bar. Nothing comes of the set piece, but Real look uncharacteristically nervous here.
52 min: Real finally get their foot on the ball. But their patience runs out quickly. Atléti sit back in their shape, and eventually Tchouaméni snaps and has a whack from distance from 25 yards. It flies almost the same distance wide left. On the touchline, Carlo Ancelotti fumes big-style. His team aren’t clicking at all. Just one shot on target all evening so far.
50 min: … so once again, Real have started the half cold. Literally late for work this time, but cold again once the whistle goes too. Very strange, given the high stakes.
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49 min: Vinicius shoves De Paul from behind. Free kick, taken quickly. Llorente is released into the Real box down the right. A low pearler is turned around the post by Courtois … but it turns out the free kick was taken too quickly. The second take leads to a corner on the right, but Griezmann’s delivery is no good and easily cleared by the first Real man in attendance.
47 min: Real start the second half as they did the first, with a poor defensive clearance. Mendy with a weak header this time. It affords Alvarez the chance to take a whack from distance. His shot is heading into the bottom right, but Courtois parries.
46 min: Real will be hoping for a big improvement, having racked up a first-half xG of 0.08. Atléti’s total was 0.82, so the 1-0 scoreline seems about right.
Real get the second half started, having taken their sweet time to come out of the tunnel. Diego Simeone not happy about that, as you’d expect. No changes.
Half-time entertainment. And in no-longer-Champions-League-related news …
HALF TIME: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (agg 2-2)
This scoreline doesn’t flatter the hosts at all. Real, who have never quite recovered from conceding after 28 seconds, are clinging on a bit to aggregate parity. Atlético have been superb.
45 min +1: Two corners follow. Alvarez sends the first one to the near post, forcing Bellingham to head behind. That was going in. The replay is hit long, and very nearly creeps over Courtois and into the top right! Just over the bar. The keeper backpedaling hysterically.
45 min: … Oblak claims, then bowls the ball out for Simeone, who challenges for it down the left with Vinicius Junior. The Real striker gets to it first, but only manages to poke it further down the flank and out for an Atlético corner! On the touchline, Diego Simeone celebrates that like a goal. You wouldn’t have him any other way.
44 min: Mbappe works hard down the left to win a Real corner. Modric trots over to take. And …
43 min: Rudiger, quarterbacking from deep, curls a long cross in from the right. Tchouaméni, on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box, gets in Bellingham’s way. The ball clanks out for a corner, and that’s another thing for Bellingham to rant about. His team-mate in the firing line this time. Not the happiest chappie right now.
41 min: Simeone flips a cute pass down the inside-right channel to release Alvarez into the Real box. From a tight angle, Alvarez hammers hard. Courtois parries around the post. Nothing comes for the corner, but Real are hanging on a bit here. What Atléti would give to find a second, and hit the aggregate lead while the going’s good.
39 min: Tchouaméni hangs out a cynical leg to stop Griezmann turning into space, and the yellow card finally comes out. Tchouaméni will miss Real’s next match, should they get through.
36 min: De Paul slips a pass down the right for Simeone, who earns another corner for Atlético. Griezmann whips it in, and finds Lenglet in space, ahead of Mendy, six yards out. A huge chance! But he slaps his header miles wide right. That should have been 2-0.
35 min: Griezmann is clipped by Vinícius Júnior, 30 yards from the Real goal. Another of those nearly-but-not-quite bookings. Real still not happy, though, and argue the toss. The aristocrats agitated and affronted. The free kick leads to a corner, from which Griezmann crosses low from the right. Courtois does well to deflect it away from the danger zone.
33 min: This is pretty scrappy at the moment, and Atlético won’t mind one jot.
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31 min: Bellingham gets in the referee’s face, as is his occasional wont. Over very little, it needs to be said. Then he has a long and frank exchange of views with De Paul. Bellingham’s not afraid to tell it as he sees it, that’s already been long established. A bit early to get this frustrated, though, surely. Perhaps he should borrow some of Carlo’s gum.
29 min: … and the resulting corner is about as good as Mbappe’s theatrical crumble. We move on.
28 min: Modric swings one in from the right. Mbappe tries to chest it down and flops over. Gimenez, directly behind the striker, bundles the ball out for a corner. Mbappe wants a penalty, but again, come on and come off it.
26 min: A simple long pass down the left channel for Alvarez, who sends a rising shot towards the top-left corner. Courtois parries confidently. Real aren’t dealing particularly well with these long speculative balls.
25 min: Gallagher goes barrelling up the left touchline and is nicked from behind by Rodrygo. You’ve seen players booked for less, but Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the last World Cup final, is keeping his powder dry and cards in his pocket.
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23 min: Now it’s Atléti’s turn to enjoy a little bit of patient possession. The crowd enjoy it as their defenders give the Real press the runaround.
21 min: Alvarez swings a shot-cum-cross in from the right. The ball only just squeaks past the left-hand post, though Courtois had it covered.
20 min: Vinícius Júnior jinks down the left and slips over. He still manages to flip the ball into the air while sliding along the turf. It hits the arm of Simeone, standing right next to him. A penalty is claimed, but the referee is quite correctly not interested.
18 min: Valverde wins a corner down the Real right but the set piece is no good. Oblak hasn’t had any work to do yet.
17 min: Bellingham is robbed again, allowing Griezmann to take the ball off him as he attempts to chest down in the casual style. A sluggish start. Penny for the thoughts of Brahim Díaz, who made way for the England star.
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16 min: Gallagher steals the ball from Bellingham and releases Alvarez down the left flank. Alvarez trots off down a cul-de-sac and the chance to launch another counter is gone.
14 min: Real continue to hog the ball. They’ve settled well. Such a shame for them that they turned up for their shift 28 seconds too late.
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12 min: … but if there’s any team more than happy to sit back and soak it up, it’s Atléti. A lot of whistling from the stands as Real patiently probe hither and yon.
10 min: Rodrygo dribbles with great purpose down the right only to find Reinildo a shut door. Thing is, apart from one not inconsiderable caveat, Real have started reasonably well!
8 min: Real have had most of the possession since that early stunner. Vinicius Jr waltzes in from the left and attempts a curler. Blocked and deflected for a corner. Modric hits it long and Oblak punches clear. “Have Atlético scored too early?” wonders Gary Byrne, because somebody had to.
6 min: Oblak, under pressure from Vinicius Jr, shanks out for a corner. Before the set piece can be taken, Simeone goes down theatrically, twice, upon being lightly shoved by Mbappe. The referee has a quick word with the chip off the old block. Nothing comes of the set piece.
4 min: … while on the touchline, Diego Simeone tries his level best to retain his supercool. Carlo chewing at his gum with a bit more vigour, though.
2 min: The roof of the Metropolitano, as you’d expect, is currently spinning off towards Catalonia. The poor clearance Griezmann intercepted was by Raúl Asencio. Everyone in Real white looking around at each other stunned!
SENSATIONAL GOAL! Atlético 1-0 Real (Gallagher 28 sec); agg 2-2
Atletico hit it long. A poor clearance. Griezmann intercepts. Alvarez slips the ball wide right to De Paul, who crosses low. Simeone tries to back-flick home at the near post but misses. Gallagher, racing in behind, doesn’t, though. What a start!
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And they’re off! Atlético Madrid get the ball rolling. “There’s no doubt that this clash of bitter rivals offers unparalleled movement and passion. I’m referring to Carlo Ancelotti’s eyebrows and Diego Simeone going berserk in the technical area. The actual football might be good too.” Peter Oh, damas y caballeros. He’s here all week. Try the tapas.
The teams are out! Atléti in their mattress-influenced red and white stripes, Real in their meringue-tasty white. The atmosphere a beautiful brouhaha. We’ll be off in a Zadok-the-Priest-soundtracked moment or two!
Here’s some more historical evidence suggesting Atlético are right up against it tonight. They’ve won 13 and lost 12 of the European ties in which they’ve lost the first leg away, a narrow positive albeit one very much second best to Real’s record after winning their first leg at home: they’ve gone through in 49 of 62 ties. Atléti will however be buoyed by memories of last year, when they dispatched Internazionale on penalties in this round after losing the first leg in Milan. So let’s rule nothing out.
Quite a few rascals are one booking away from missing the first leg of the quarter-final should their team get through. Atlético have José María Giménez and Ángel Correa on the edge; Real’s substantially longer list features Luka Modrić, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Antonio Rüdiger, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick and Carlo Ancelotti himself.
Both teams make two changes to their starting XI after last week’s first leg at the Bernabéu. Atlético call up Conor Gallagher and Reinildo, Javi Galán and Samuel Lino dropping to the bench. Real recall Jude Bellingham and captain Luka Modrić, with Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Díaz benched.
The teams
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Reinildo, Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher, Griezmann, Alvarez.
Subs: Musso, Azpilicueta, Sorloth, Correa, Lemar, Samuel Dias, Molina, Riquelme, Witsel, Galan, Le Normand, Kostis.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy, Rodrygo, Tchouameni, Modric, Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior.
Subs: Lunin, Gonzalez, Alaba, Camavinga, Guler, Endrick, Lucas, Garcia, Diaz, García, Ramon, Andres.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
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Preamble
Atlético have been paired with their Madrid neighbours Real on five previous occasions in Europe’s most prestigious club competition. The 1959 semis. The 2014 final. The 2015 quarters. The 2016 final. The 2017 semis. Real have prevailed on each and every occasion. If history is any guide, Diego Simeone’s side may as well turn it in now.
Recent form won’t give them any succour either. Real won the first leg of this tie 2-1, despite an underwhelming performance at the Bernabéu last week. Then in La Liga at the weekend, Real won 2-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano thanks to first-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, while Atléti conceded in the 88th and 92nd minutes to go down 2-1 at Getafe.
There’s also the small matter of Real Madrid in the European Cup being Real Madrid in the European Cup. So it’s fair to say the cards are stacked against Atléti. But having said all of that, they’ve won two of the last three Derbi Madrileños at Estadio Metropolitano (and drawn the other) to an aggregate score of 8-4. And you can be damn sure a side of Simeone’s isn’t going to lie down and die wondering. So this could be a cracker, as the two Madrid giants battle for the right to face Arsenal (or PSV, but c’mon) in the quarter-finals. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT, 9pm local. Extra-time and penalties à la Anfield if required. It’s on!
