Osamagbe Imadiyi
Title holders Real Madrid defeated crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid 4-2 on penalties to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals, surviving a missed penalty from Vinicius Junior in regulation time. Despite goalie Jan Oblak’s best efforts, He was unable to stop Antonio Rüdiger’s shot from crossing the line, sealing the victory in the round of 16. Lucas Vazquez’s spot kick had been saved by Oblak, but Marcus Llorente’s attempt struck the crossbar, and Julian Alvarez of Atletico’s successful kick was disallowed after review because he touched the ball with both feet.
Conor Gallagher gave Atletico a one-minute lead at the Wanda Metropolitano after Real had won the first leg 2-1 at home. In the 70th minute, after Clement Lenglet had brought down Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior had a great opportunity to put Real Madrid back ahead on aggregate, but he missed the crossbar with his penalty kick.
Real Madrid maintained their flawless record against Atletico in the event’s knockout stages and finals. They now take on Arsenal, who defeated PSV Eindhoven 9-3 on aggregate with a 2-2 home draw.
