Spain’s Atletico Madrid needed penalty kicks to overcome Italian Inter Milan and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday, after the exciting confrontation between the two teams in the round of 16 ended in a 2-2 draw over the two-legged aggregate, while Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus scored two goals. Borussia Dortmund secured a difficult 2-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven today, Wednesday, and qualified for the same round.
Published on: 03/14/2024 – 01:15
7 minutes
Spain’s Atletico Madrid ousted its host Italian Inter Runner-up of the eighth-final competition UEFA Champions Leaguebeating them on penalty kicks 3-2, after drawing 2-2 in the aggregate of the two matches, while the English returnee Jaydon Sancho led the German Borussia Dortmund to defeat the Dutch club Eindhoven 2-0 and sealed their qualification.
Atletico and Dortmund joined the defending champions Manchester City and Arsenal of England, Real Madrid and Barcelona of Spain, Bayern Munich of Germany and Paris Saint-Germain of France.
The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held on Friday, and will be open without classification, and will not avoid facing clubs from one country, or those that met in the group stage.
In the first match in the Spanish capital, Madrid, Atletico compensated for its 0-1 loss in the first leg with a valuable victory in the second leg 2-1, after the end of regular and extra time, imposing a penalty shootout scenario.
Atletico’s goals, returning from injury, were scored by Frenchman Antoine Griezmann (35) and Dutch substitute Memphis Depay (87), and Inter’s goal was by Federico Demarco (33).
Oblak is a penalty kick star
Atletico’s Slovenian goalkeeper, Jan Oblak, made himself a star by blocking the kicks of Chilean Alexis Sanchez and Dutchman Davy Klaassen, while Argentine captain Lautaro Martinez knocked his ball away, while Saul Nigues failed to translate his kick from Atletico’s side.
Oblak said after the end of the match: “We knew it would be a difficult match, but we always had the advantage, because we are playing at home. I am happy with the victory.”
Griezmann (32 years old), who was started by Argentine coach Diego Simeone in his first match since his return to the stadiums, shone after he sprained his ankle at the San Siro Stadium last February 20 during the first leg.
In turn, striker Martinez returned to the Nerazzurri squad, after his coach Simone Inzaghi preferred to rest him in the 1-0 league win over Bologna.
Atletico posed a threat to Inter’s goal through Brazilian Samuel Diash Leno, who advanced on the left side and shot a ball that was blocked by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer (5).
Inter responded with two attempts by Dutchman Denzil Demfries, who shot a ball that was blocked by goalkeeper Oblak, before following it up next to the goal (13).
Inter succeeded in opening the scoring following a back pass from Nicolo Barella to Demarco, who shot from close range at the top of the goal (33).
Inter’s lead only lasted two minutes, as the returning Griezmann alone was able to prove his heel once again by scoring the equalizer (35).
It is the French striker’s 176th goal with Atletico, strengthening his record as the top scorer in the club’s history.
Atletico continued its pressure in search of a second goal, as Alvaro Morata wasted an opportunity following a cross pass from Argentine Rodrigo De Paul (60), and French Inter striker Marcus Thuram responded in kind, after a ball was created for him in front of the goal, but his shot went over the crossbar (76).
Atletico had another chance from substitute Depay, who tried to turn around from close to the goal and shoot, but substitute Matteo Darmian was the closest to blocking it (80), before Barella wasted a one-on-one chance after a pass from Martinez (84).
Depay hit the crossbar before decoding the Italian defense, following a coordinated attack in which captain Koke was able to open a gap by passing a perfect ball to the Dutchman, who shot it past goalkeeper Sommer (87).
Argentine substitute Angel Correa missed an opportunity that would have been enough for Atletico to win before resorting to double extra time, following a wonderful pass from Griezmann, but his ball went over the goal in a strange way (90+3).
Sancho scores and goes out injured
In the second, Dortmund owed its victory to the returning Englishman, Sancho, who scored the opening goal three minutes after the starting whistle, before he was injured and left in the second half, and his replacement, Marco Reus, doubled the score in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Sancho said after qualifying: “I am grateful that I was able to score the goal to put the team ahead. We knew it would be difficult, but I felt that we would have the advantage because we are playing in front of our fans.”
Sancho, on loan from Manchester United, who scored his first goal in his second spell with the German club this week in the 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen in the league, played alongside Julian Brandt and Dutchman Donnel Malen behind striker Niklas Volkrug.
Coach Edin Terzic’s team booked its place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2021, while PSV Eindhoven reached this round for the last time in the 2006-2007 season, before losing to Liverpool on the latter’s way to win the title.
Eindhoven coach Peter Bosz, who was sacked by Dortmund after a disappointing six-month campaign in 2017, made two changes to his squad that played the first leg.
No sooner had the referee blown the starting whistle than Dortmund opened the scoring three minutes later, following a joint play, and the ball reached Brandt, who returned it to Sancho, and the latter shot a creeping shot from outside the area that went past Argentine goalkeeper Walter Benitez.
Volkrug almost doubled the score, but he hesitated between shooting and passing inside the area, wasting the opportunity (11), before Benitez intervened in two attempts at first to save Brandt’s shot, and the ball returned to Malen, who in turn shot to stop the goalkeeper a second time (16).
PSV Eindhoven waited until the 31st minute to shoot on its opponent’s goal for the first time, thanks to its Belgian striker Johan Bakayoko, who had Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Koppel on the lookout.
Dortmund began the second half as it ended the first, with Malen shooting and Benitez blocking (48), and the goal post stood in the way of Mexican substitute Hirving Losano’s shot from 20 meters (53), before goalkeeper Koppel intervened in front of Jordan Tazza’s ball and pushed it away to a corner (55), to come back and emerge victorious. From his conflict with Bakayoko (71).
Dortmund suffered a morale blow with the injury of Sancho, who complained of a sore right thigh and left in the 75th minute. He was replaced by Royce, who put an end to the excitement by scoring the second goal, after he took advantage of the slip of young substitute Isak Babadi 30 meters from his goal, to snatch the ball, go one-on-one with the goalkeeper and shoot. In goal (90+5).
France 24/AFP
2024-03-14 00:15:51
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