The Colchonero goalkeeper deflected two penalties in the shootout (3-2), with a decisive error by Lautaro after the 2-1 extra time against Inter
MADRID, 13 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid beat Inter Milan 3-2 on penalties this Wednesday, after two key saves by Jan Oblak and the final decision by Lautaro Martínez in the shootout, and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. as the culmination of a tie with 1-0 in the first leg at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium and with 2-1 in extra time at the Madrid fiefdom.
To look for a comeback, Cívitas Metropolitano dressed up and its players caught it. Samu Lino channeled that enthusiasm with a cross from the left wing that found no partner in the area and then, at the end of the 5th minute, with a left footed shot after cutting out Benjamin Pavard. The Colchonero ’12’ looked sharp, but Yann Sommer showed off reflections.
Around the quarter-hour mark, Inter responded through Denzel Dumfries, dizzying down the right until he stepped into the area and bothered Oblak, who made a double save next to the post. Despite Atlético’s initial dominance, the visiting team had the advantage of Lautaro Martínez.
From a combination with Marcus Thuram a distant shot was born from the Argentine, who tripped on a defender and was poisoned until Oblak was forced to intervene. The Inter team then failed in a ball delivery, Rodrigo de Paul was attentive and filtered a pass to Álvaro Morata on the right side, in the area, but Marcos Llorente did not reach the shot.
The match was back and forth, which benefited Diego Pablo Simeone’s team in the 28th minute after a cross from Mario Hermoso with a thread from the left and Morata headed well, but into Sommer’s mitts. As a street runner, ‘Cholo”s plan with three centre-backs and two wing-backs faded at key moments and from there came the 0-1 scoreline in the 33rd minute.
Thanks to a pass from Alessandro Bastoni to Nicolò Barella, the left wing of the Nerazzurri attack saw a leak and the number 23 ran until he reached the area, accompanied from afar by Federico Dimarco. Barella located him and assisted backwards, with Dimarco interfering in the local defense to score with his right foot as the ball came.
Without time to assimilate, Atlético tied due to a chain failure by the rival defense in a play that began with Nahuel Molina centering the area in search of Morata, possibly offside. An Inter player rejected it and Koke Resurrección picked up the ball on the front line, put it back in and Pavard made a mistake in clearing it, which confused Bastoni and favored Antoine Griezmann, who scored behind him with a subtle hit.
Sixth goal for the ‘Little Prince’ in his eight games in this Champions League, which gave encouragement to the stadium and to Simeone’s other pupils, who almost celebrated another goal for his star when in the 42nd minute Stefan de Vrij blocked a dangerous left-footed shot. The Madrid team had to believe it and with that intention he came out with vigor in the second act.
In the 52nd minute he had a chance thanks to Llorente when he mischievously left Dimarco on his side. However, although Griezmann then took advantage of the pass, Sommer stopped again. Meanwhile, at the wheel of Inter in the offensive phase was Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who appeared a couple of times at the crown of the local area, first with a very deflected shot and later with an open pass that Dumfries on the right did not reach.
It was a battle of ups and downs and in the 60th minute it was time to warn Atlético, after a robbery by Koke in the midfield. The captain passed to Llorente, who without hesitation crossed into the heart of the area and Morata did not score his shot, made with his shin. Immediately afterwards, Stefan Savic headed a poisonous cross that Thuram wanted to finish off; and in the 71st minute, Simeone had to move several pieces as the match had thickened.
The Argentine coach introduced Ángel Correa and Roro Riquelme, who in the next attack livened things up with a shot that bounced off Pavard. When taking that corner, Atlético retreated badly and between Lautaro and Thumar they made it 1-2. Lautaro tamed the ball, advanced and stood in a three-quarter line; He assisted Thuram, without Riquelme cutting off the pass as he went down, but the Frenchman sent his right foot into the stands.
MEMPHIS AND CORREA CHANGE THE GAME
Once again ‘Cholo’ made substitutions, giving Memphis Depay the place of Morata. Needing a score, the red and white team almost made it 2-1 after a pass from Correa that Memphis, turning in the small area, did not push. And like a ‘déjà vu’, Lautaro in the 82nd minute led a counterattack that could have been lethal, although Barella culminated with a shot into Oblak’s gloves.
Due to the mattress push, Simone Inzaghi reinforced his back line with Yann Bisseck and Davide Frattesi. But the idea couldn’t have turned out worse, because Memphis sent a strong right-footed shot to the post in the 85th minute and two minutes later he scored 2-1, controlling with his left foot a precise assist from Koke to beat Sommer with his right foot and by below.
The Swiss goalkeeper showed Inter’s nerves, as he failed in a subsequent attempt to catch the ball in the presence of Correa. The local ’10’ wasted the rebound, but created what could have been the sentence in stoppage time, thanks to a steal and a pass to Griezmann riding down the right side. ‘Grizi’, as soon as he stepped into the opponent’s area, passed with the outside of his left boot to Riquelme, who filled the ball with his running shot and sent it into the clouds just before extra time.
Inzaghi’s team got up for extra time, as Thuram clarified with a wide header. The answer was from Riquelme, caracoling down the left until passing to Memphis, whose shot ended up being saved by Sommer. Lautaro then headed a corner taken by Mkhitaryan and scared the stadium, nervous about the possible penalty shoot-out.
Hakan Çalhanoglu tried to avoid it in the 113th minute with a direct free kick, without luck, in the last approach of either team. Everything focused on the shootout, where Oblak’s saves against penalties from Alexis Sánchez and Davy Klaassen paved the way to the quarterfinals, with a certified ticket after Lautaro threw his into the highest amphitheater.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, 2 – INTER DE MILAN, 1 (1-1, at half-time).
–ALIGNMENTS.
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Molina (Barrios, min.79), Savic, Witsel, Hermoso, Lino (Riquelme, min.17); Llorente (Azpilicueta, min.98), Koke, De Paul (Correa, min.71); Griezmann (Saúl, min.106) and Morata (Memphis, min.79).
INTER DE MILÁN: Sommer; Dumfries (Darmian, min.72), Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni (Acerbi, min.72), Dimarco (Bisseck, min.84); Barella (Frattesi, min.84), Çalhanoglu, Mkhitaryan (Klaassen, min.111); Lautaro y Thuram (Alexis Sánchez, min.102).
–GOALS:
0-1, min.33: Dimarco.
1-1, min.35: Griezmann.
2-1, min.87: Memphis.
–SIGN OF DE PENALTIS.
0-1: Çalhanoglu, goal.
1-1: Memphis, gol.
1-1: Alexis Sánchez, miss.
1-1: Saúl, miss.
1-1: Klaassen, falla.
2-1: Riquelme, goal.
2-2: Acerbi, goal.
3-2: Correa, goal.
3-2: Lautaro, miss.
–REFEREE: Szymon Marciniak (POL). He yellow carded Hermoso (min.41) and Koke (min.90) at Atlético de Madrid, and Çalhanoglu (min.104), Acerbi (min.105 2) and Bisseck (min.118) at Inter from Milan.
–STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano, 69,196 spectators.
