Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid in a dramatic penalty shootout Wednesday as the reigning champions advanced to the quarterfinals, in another UEFA Champions League victory over their local rivals.
Atlético — who have never eliminated Real in the Champions League — won 1-0 on the night, thanks to Conor Gallagher’s goal after just 27 seconds, to level the tie 2-2 on aggregate.
Vinícius Júnior missed a second-half penalty at the Metropolitano, as the game went to extra time, and then penalties.
Julián Álvarez’s spot kick was ruled out by VAR after the Atlético forward slipped, kicking the ball with both feet, before Antonio Rüdiger scored the decisive penalty to send Real into the last eight, where they’ll play Arsenal.
It all started so well for Atleti
It took only 27 seconds for Atlético Madrid to take the lead, and for the crowd at the Metropolitano to believe that yes, after so many years of heartbreak against their biggest rivals, this really could be their night in the Champions League. The goal came so soon that some late-comers were still taking their seats inside the packed stadium. Real Madrid weren’t ready, either.
Atlético kicked off with Álvarez playing the ball back to Pablo Barrios, and then Rodrigo De Paul. He played it back to the defense, where it found its way to Clément Lenglet. Under pressure, Lenglet launched it long, sparking instant panic for Real. Raúl Asencio’s hurried clearance went straight to Antoine Griezmann. He gave it quickly to Gallagher, who moved it on to Álvarez, who spotted De Paul advancing on the right. De Paul’s cross was cleverly skipped over by Giuliano Simeone, and there was Gallagher, sliding in.
Atlético’s fans could barely believe it. The celebrations saw Álvarez jumping for joy, De Paul facing the crowd, punching the air, Gallagher screaming “Yes!” at the crowd. It was all smiles; Atlético led 1-0, it was 2-2 on aggregate, and one thing was clear: Atlético were right back in the tie. If Real Madrid were going to progress, they’d have to do it the hard way. — Alex Kirkland
Vinícius endures a rough evening
In the end, he’s a winner. In the end he, and his indomitable team, march on and, in the end, his penalty wasn’t, by a long stretch, the controversial one.
But Wednesday was a night when we saw the most junior version of Vinícius Junior.
Whatever you think of him, Vinícius is a warrior. Sometimes he has “winner” juice just oozing out of him, sometimes his belligerence overtakes him. He has rough edges. But when the chips are down, usually, he’s rough, tough and ready to battle anyone so that he, and Madrid, win.
There’s an element of the street, where you learn the most venerable of skills, about this vibrant Brazilian: the dribble, the feint, the trick, the shoulders going one way, hips the other, and boots, with ball, directly toward goal. The street, too, where it’s “me vs. you”, where the hard-nosed, “I will not be beaten” men and women of great sports franchises graduate from, and keep the memories all of their lives.
But Vinícius’ night at the Metropolitano wasn’t summed up by the fizzing, flying penalty which soared over Jan Oblak’s bar, too quickly for Atleti’s keeper to even bother following its trajectory. The 24-year-old looked limp, listless, almost uninterested for most of this brutal contest, barring a short spell of “I must seek redemption” he missed Madrid’s chance to win the tie in normal time. His body language was horrible.
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Is there tension between Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham?
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And his night without shining armor was summed up when, Vinícius having been robbed of the ball, and sitting on the turf complaining about the referee, Jude Bellingham raced back down the pitch to make a saving tackle and then turned toward the green grass and beat his fists down on the playing surface once, twice and then a third time.
That done, that fury expunged, he then stood up and, at about 15 meters from Vinícius, the 21-year-old Englishman pumped his fists and roared his unmistakable fury at Vinícius. His gestures and words were: “Wake up! Take responsibility! Fight! That’s not good enough Vini!”
It all happened in front of their coach, Carlo Ancelotti, not someone who’s prone to either Vinícius’ hapless, helpless “not my night” posture … but not someone who’s much given to erupting in volcanic fury the way Bellingham did.
Yet whatever he thought, whatever he saw, he seemed to side with the younger guy. Ancelotti said something and Vinícius just turned to his manager and spread his arms wide in the time-honored: “What do you want me to do about it all boss?”
It was weird, he was washed-out and when he slouched off, to be replaced by Endrick, Ancelotti wasn’t even counting on Vinícius for the spot-kick shootout. The inquest will follow. But, at least, it will follow with Madrid now facing up to the prospect of beating Arsenal to reach the Champions League semifinal … again.
Something they’ll have much less chance of doing with this version of Vinícius-lite. — Graham Hunter
The missed call that could have changed the game
Because Madrid won in the end, less will be made of the moment when Lenglet fouled his international teammate, Kylian Mbappé, and conceded the penalty which threatened to eliminate Atleti long before a shootout actually did. But all you need to do, like some football detective, is read this article, go and read the football laws then add the replay of Lenglet’s foul and you’ll agree this was red-card worthy. No question.
The “Double Jeopardy” rule was clarified in 2016, realizing that an attacking team earning a penalty and having a defender sent off was a punishment too far. Now, the rule quite clearly states that when a foul in the box leads to a penalty, it’s sufficient to book only the penalized player if he has made a genuine attempt to play the ball. In all other circumstances it’s a penalty plus a red card. On Wednesday, the French defender was tricked and then left stranded by Mbappé — who went from “no game” to “show game” the longer the match went on — and then Lenglet pulled at Mbappé and fouled him. There’s not attempt to get the ball and, frankly, I think referee Szymon Marciniak (and he’s far, far from being alone in avoiding doling out the maximum punishment in this kind of situation) banks on the fact that the penalty will be scored and, generally, media and fans will sweep under the carpet that he ducked the full application of his duty.
It was a penalty, but there was no attempt to play the ball. It should have been “tough luck” for Lenglet, and Madrid should have been playing against 10 men from the 70th minute onward. Simple as that. — Hunter
De Paul did everything he could for Atleti
Simeone is known for being a proactive, interventionist coach, never shy about making a double, or even triple substitution if he doesn’t like what he’s seeing. So the fact that on Wednesday he didn’t make a single change until the 85th minute — when Samuel Lino replaced Gallagher — was notable. Even as Atlético tired, Simeone was reluctant to put fresh legs onto the pitch. Perhaps that was an acknowledgement that extra time was likely, and there’d be plenty of time for changes then. Or perhaps he was just perfectly happy with how his team were playing.
This was a game that Atlético dominated, with and without the ball. It was played at their speed, in their style, and on their terms. And who made sure of that? De Paul, Simeone’s on-field lieutenant, setting the tempo in midfield. De Paul hasn’t always convinced in his four years at Atlético. At times in Madrid, he has looked lightweight, an inferior version of the player who has excelled as Lionel Messi’s minder and right-hand man with Argentina.
But here, he bossed the midfield with force of personality and rock-solid technique, never once looking overawed by the occasion. He was involved in Atlético’s opener, crossing for Gallagher to convert, and had a hand in almost everything good thing the team did. And he barely tired, until his body could take no more in added time, and he fell to the field with because of a cramp. De Paul had given everything. He limped off to a standing ovation in the 94th minute, recognition of an outstanding individual performance, even if — with the tie still level at 2-2 — he was now unable to affect the outcome. — Kirkland
2:42
Did Julián Álvarez touch the ball twice for his penalty?
ESPN FC’s Craig Burley and Ale Moreno discuss the VAR decision to disallow Julián Alvarez’s penalty after the Atletico Madrid striker was deemed to have touched the ball twice.
The dual between Giménez and Bellingham
On a generally titanic night, there was a battle of the titans to enjoy: namely José María Giménez vs. Bellingham.
Just to state the obvious, when Atleti were in possession and pushing — something they didn’t achieve often enough — Wednesday night’s tussle went into abeyance. But as Ancelotti acknowledged postmatch: “Atleti take up excellent defensive positions and work very hard for one another.”
So, when that happened, Bellingham pushed into Atleti’s penalty area whenever he could. His wingers would punt the ball into him, and Giménez would give Madrid’s No. 5 a good sniff of his no-doubt expensive aftershave. Cheek-to-cheek, header after header, duel after duel — two big characters, two big men, two driven winners.
It was a terrific sideshow and one which led both of them to give sparky shots of dialogue back and forth. I’m not sure which language they used, perhaps some of it was the kind of language you’d not use in front of your mum and kids. But they got their messages across. It all reached an absolute zenith when, late in the second half, a wonderful ball zinged in from Madrid’s right touchline and there was Bellingham, lurking like a natural-born goal scorer in Atleti’s six-yard area. It had goal written all over it; a goal to draw level on the night, to win the tie and to allow Bellingham to say “ta-ta sucker” to Giménez. But the defender lunged, lucked-out and blocked Madrid’s outright best chance of a goal from open play.
Still, the winner takes all. But there’s potentially another meeting between these two on the horizon in the Copa del Rey final. If both teams make it through the semis, get your hands on the tickets when they go on sale — sometimes the sideshow beats the main show. — Hunter
Real’s Champions League history comes to the fore
How long can you rely on moments of singular, individual brilliance, on digging deep into vast reserves of elite Champions League-level experience, on an intangible aura, built on 70 years of European Cup success? This is Real Madrid, so the answer is: quite long, actually. Real were often second best Wednesday, looking like a team that has lost its way, bereft of identity, a stark contrast to Simeone’s clinical Atlético. But they stayed in the game. In the 70th minute, it looked as if their chance had come, Mbappé — in Real’s one moment of unanswerable attacking quality — sliced through the Atlético defense to win a penalty. But Vinícius couldn’t convert.
After that, Real improved, as Ancelotti’s changes — introducing Eduardo Camavinga, Lucas Vázquez, Brahim Díaz and Fran García — gave the team a much-needed sense of direction and urgency. As the clock ticked toward added time, you could feel a growing sense of tension from Atlético, both the team and the fans. They were so close. But they’ve been close, agonizingly close, against Real in Europe before. And it hasn’t been enough.
In extra time — a frequent occurrence when these teams meet in knockout competitions — Real took control, and it was Atlético’s turn to hang on. Then, on to penalties. Atlético’s record in Champions League shootouts with Real, namely a defeat in the 2016 final in Milan, was not encouraging. And that was vindicated by flawless spot kicks from Mbappé, Bellingham and Valverde to put Real on top. There was confusion inside the stadium when Álvarez’s penalty was disallowed, but that was soon forgotten when Rudiger’s shot slipped through Jan Oblak’s hands, to send the Germany international and his teammates sprinting up the pitch toward the away fans, high behind the other goal.
Next up for Real in the quarterfinals is Arsenal, a team they haven’t faced since 2006. Then, a Real side packed full of Galácticos was eliminated in the last 16, thanks to Thierry Henry’s sensational solo goal at the Bernabéu. This Real Madrid team is equally full of stars, and is just as unconvincing as a unit. If they’re to go all the way in this year’s competition, they’ll surely have to improve as a collective.
Or will they? Having Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham and Valverde might be enough. — Kirkland
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ESPN FC’s Frank Leboeuf explains how Arsenal can beat Real Madrid as the two teams are set to meet in the Champions League quarterfinals.
What next for Atleti and Simeone?
Sometimes, even in the heights of the emotions which football, and nights like this can produce, it’s actually the stats that tell the starkest tale. Even above the tear-stained eyes, the disbelieving faces and the broken hearts.
Atlético have now played Madrid in six separate European Cup or Champions League ties — with 11 matches within those appointments — and Simeone, in charge of the club since 2011, is yet to architect a win. Not one.
It’s ultra ironic that when he arrived at the club, he was the jinx-buster, their savior. Atleti hadn’t won a derbi against their dominant neighbors for 14 years and it was beyond a joke — it was pure, agonizing pain. He broke the spell by winning the Spanish cup final, at the Bernabeu, in Jose Mourinho’s last match in charge of Madrid and Atleti were whole again.
Now, it feels as if something similar is happening. Atleti lost two UCL finals to Madrid, 2014 and 2016, and Simeone, after the latter, spoke about being haunted by the notes of the Champions League anthem. A superstitious man, at the best of times, I think he thought he was jinxed. Truly. This was the chance. Madrid playing a pale, ghostly version of themselves and if not there for the taking, then vulnerable. The postmatch news conference, where Simeone was bouncy, proud of his team, funny about the VAR decision on Álvarez’ double-touch on the penalty which was disallowed, didn’t show the true hurt. Nor the psychological damage. Not really.
That will sink in and sour. Maybe these two meet again this season if each of them win their Copa del Rey semis. But when the international break comes, when his footballers head off for international duty and Simeone is left reflecting on another match that slipped through his hands, he’ll either think: It’s time to approach these tests more bravely, with attacking intent. Or he’ll conclude that it’s just not meant to be.
That’s the way he’s constructed. And what a pity because, in every other respect, he’s Atleti’s greatest man. — Hunter
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