Atletico advances on aggregate

Atletico Madrid is back in the UEFA Champions League semifinals after surviving Barcelona’s 2-1 win in the second leg and going through 3-2 on aggregate on April 14. (uefa.com) Barcelona erased Atletico’s first-leg lead inside 24 minutes in Madrid, with Lamine Yamal scoring in the third minute and Ferran Torres adding a second in the 23rd. Atletico answered before halftime when Ademola Lookman finished a counterattack after a Marcos Llorente assist. (espn.com) That left the tie level on the night but still in Atletico’s favor over two matches, because Diego Simeone’s team had won the first leg 2-0 in Barcelona on April 8. The aggregate score — the combined total from both quarterfinal matches — sent Atletico through by one goal. (uefa.com, espn.com) The result puts Atletico in the club’s first Champions League semifinal since 2017, ending a run of quarterfinal and earlier exits in Europe’s top club competition. Barcelona, which reached the semifinals last season, is out in the last eight this time. (espn.com, sports.yahoo.com) It also keeps Simeone’s team alive for a place in the final in Budapest on May 30, 2026. UEFA lists the semifinal first legs for April 27 or 29 and the second legs for May 4 or 6, with exact pairings tied to the remaining quarterfinals. (uefa.com, uefa.com) The second leg turned on a fast Barcelona start and Atletico’s ability to absorb it. Reuters reported that the home crowd at the Metropolitano spent the closing stages “holding its breath” as Barcelona pushed for the goal that would have forced extra time. (thestar.com.my) UEFA’s match report credited Lookman with the decisive strike in a game Barcelona had briefly dragged back to level terms. By the final whistle, the only number that mattered to Atletico was still 3-2 over two legs. (uefa.com)