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Atlético Madrid through after penalty pressure sinks Bayer Leverkusen
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Atlético Madrid stayed on course for a second consecutive Champions League final appearance when they beat Bayer Leverkusen on penalties to claim a place in the last eight.
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The Bundesliga side won the first leg in Germany 1-0 but a goal from the Atlético midfielder Mario Suárez in the 27th minute of the return match left the teams locked at 1-1 after extra time at the Vicente Calderón.
Both sides failed with two penalties before the Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling fired the fifth spot-kick over the crossbar to give the hosts a 3-2 shootout victory. Fernando Torres converted Atlético’s fifth penalty.
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Knowing Atlético needed at least one goal to have any chance of going through, Diego Simeone sprung a surprise in his starting lineup by deploying the attacking midfielder Cani instead of the more defence-minded captain, Gabi.
Roared on by the home support, Simeone’s men came storming out of the blocks but Leverkusen refused to be intimidated and Suárez’s deflected effort that went in off the defender Omer Toprak was their first shot.
Atlético had suffered a setback shortly before the goal when goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya picked up a thigh injury and had to be replaced by Jan Oblak.
It was more of the same in the second half with a fired-up Atlético pressing forward without really threatening and a well-organised Leverkusen looking to hit back on the counter attack.
The Atlético playmaker Arda Turan fired over with a volley on the run in the 69th minute after good work down the left from Antoine Griezmann and a Koke free-kick evaded everyone and almost sneaked inside the post a minute later.
Tension was rising as the clock ticked down and Arda again went close in the 80th when he drew a good save from the Leverkusen goalkeeper, Bernd Leno.
The players were clearly tiring and chances were scarce in extra time.
The Atlético midfielder Raúl García had the clearest chance in the 106th minute when he blasted an angled shot straight at Leno while Leverkusen’s captain, Simon Rolfes, lashed a long-range effort just wide.
“I am among the eight best teams in Europe again with Atlético and it gives me goose bumps to say it,” Simeone said after the climactic finale.
“The fans delight me. The supporters don’t realise the strength they give the players.”
“We are a young team with little experience and it is not easy to hang in there at a stadium like Atlético’s,” visiting coach Roger Schmidt told reporters.
“In the shoot-out we lacked concentration and calm. After fighting so hard we are very disappointed. But the players gave their all and so we leave feeling satisfied.”
The draw for the quarter-finals is on Friday with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Porto, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco through. Atlético lost to Real in last year’s final.
