Atlético into semis

Atlético Madrid are back in the Champions League semifinals after surviving a 2-1 home loss to Barcelona and winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate. (uefa.com) Barcelona erased Atlético’s first-leg cushion in the opening 24 minutes on April 14, when Lamine Yamal scored in the fourth minute and Ferran Torres added another in the 24th. (espn.com) Ademola Lookman pulled one back in the 31st minute at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, finishing a counterattack from a Marcos Llorente assist, and that goal proved enough to send Atlético through. (espn.com) The format that decided the tie was aggregate scoring: both quarterfinal matches count, and the team with more total goals advances. Atlético’s 2-0 win in Barcelona on April 8 gave Diego Simeone’s side the margin it needed. (espn.com) That first leg changed the matchup before halftime. Pau Cubarsí was sent off for Barcelona, Julián Álvarez scored from a free kick in the 44th minute, and Alexander Sørloth made it 2-0 in the 70th. (espn.com) The semifinal is Atlético’s first in the competition since 2017. Barcelona had reached the last four in 2025 and were trying to do it again after losing that semifinal to Inter Milan. (espn.com) Barcelona’s task got harder late in the second leg when Eric García was sent off in the 79th minute for fouling Alexander Sørloth to stop a breakaway. Atlético held the final minutes with a man advantage. (espn.com) UEFA’s bracket lists Atlético in the semifinals against the winner of Arsenal and Sporting Clube de Portugal, whose second leg was scheduled for April 15 after Arsenal won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon. (uefa.com) For Atlético, the route has included knockout wins over Club Brugge, Tottenham Hotspur and now Barcelona. The quarterfinal escape was messier than the 3-2 aggregate score suggests, but the bracket is what counts. (uefa.com)