Jan Oblak’s shootout heroics propel Atlético past Inter and into last eight | Champions League

“advertisement augusta per augusta” read a banner on the south stand of the Metropolitano. It’s hard to give credit, but it was the right thing to do. It was long and rough and nerve-wracking for them, but in the end it was a glorious thing and an event for the ages. In 2024, Internazionale failed to win a football match for the first time, and the cost was high. At 23:43 local time, Lautaro Martínez sent the final penalty of the penalty shootout high into the stands, and the scene erupted once again.

Last year’s Champions League finalists are here. Atletico Madrid went on to win, Memphis Depay dragged it into extra time with a late goal and a superhuman performance, then Jan Oblak saved two penalties in the shootout and dived in to drown out the fatigue here. There was a sense of elation. They overturned a 1-0 loss in the first leg. It was the same with the first goal conceded in the second inning. Atlético did that.

Atlético were responsible for the attack from the start – forget the cliché, but they did well. This is a different side to Diego Simeone’s, having lost just once in 14 months, at least at home. Their problem is on the other side, especially away. Their fear in this situation was more than not being able to score, they knew that Inter had the best defensive record in Europe, and even though they had witnessed this at San Siro, they were unable to score in their own area. This meant that a mistake could be costly.

Atlético started with a head start and even the ball boys raced to keep the game going as if this were the last moment rather than the first. Marcos Llorente pounced on his cross in the first minute, but Stefan Savic quickly headed it home. Jan Sommer’s save was easy, but Atlético had a shot on target within three minutes after not having had a shot for over 90 minutes of the first leg. We could have taken the lead two minutes later. Samuel Lino ran up the left flank, rebounded off Nicolo Barella, evaded Stefan de Vrij and fired a powerful low shot towards the far post. This time Sommer’s save was real.

But despite Atlético’s push, it was true that most of their approaches ended in hopeful crosses. However, this does not mean that there was no success. Mario Hermoso’s ball forced Alvaro Morata to close in on Sommer’s ball and once again drew a save. However, there were fewer clear chances than expected. And there is a growing feeling that Inter, who are good at making quick and sharp jumps and can play with Martinez as a pivot, may not care about this pattern.

An example of that came early on when Morata lost the ball, Marcus Thuram capitalized on the move and for the first time Hakan Calhanoglu released Denzel Dumfries, forcing Oblak to make a double save. Oblak then had to reach where Martínez’s shot was deflected, but moments later Axel Witsel reacted quickly to prevent Inter from tearing through the opposition again, and Dimarco’s final ball was deflected by Thuram. was aimed at. Inter then decisively tore through the home side, with Dimarco finishing off a deft move constructed by Martinez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alessandro Bastoni and finally Barella. The plan seems to have worked perfectly, and now Intel appears to be in control.

High up in the away end, the Italians lit up their cell phones. They were still being dumped when Atlético equalized, but a rather funny goal changed the mood here. A missed clearance reached Koke, who turned the ball back into the box and Benjamin Pavard played badly, slipping the ball, missing it and falling over, leaving Griezmann alone to score. . Now it was Atlético fans who were enjoying the ritual return by holding up their mobile phones.

Now, let’s go back to where we started. However, the situation was not quite the same. Metropolitano now really believes, momentum builds and Pavard soon has to block Griezmann. For the first time Inter looked a little shaken.

The Frenchman had another chance early in the second half. Llorente came on free near the penalty spot and drew a great save from Sommer as time expired, but he shouldn’t have allowed the keeper to save at all. Llorente then slipped out again and pulled the ball back. This time Morata could have fired a shot at Griezmann behind him, but it went over the crossbar. Inter tried to ease the tension through possession as much as possible and although they still had the lead they knew they were in a game.

Inter should have finished the game. Martínez slid into Thuram, only to see him smash the shot away. Martinez did it again with 10 minutes left, waiting for the right moment to break through Barella on his own. But his heavy legs led him to shoot straight at Oblak, creating a wild and frantic final period in which Atlético threw everything at their opponents.

Especially for Memphis, how much of an impact he had coming off the bench. It was he who changed everything on his third try. He spun a few yards from goal, but he could not finish when Angel Correa took his first shot. Then, in the 85th minute, he fired a shot that hit the inside of the post. Then, with three minutes left, he finally took the ball inside the area, turned it around and smashed a stunning finish into the goal and it exploded. Simeone pulled up injured as he ran up the touchline to join the celebrating players. If that hurt, worse followed and when Griezmann perfectly set up Rodrigo Riquelme to seal the win with 20 seconds remaining, the Atletico manager fell face down on the turf. At this moment, the shot went flying.

Simeone was down, but like any footballer, he got back on his feet. This would go on for another half hour, but despite the screaming in his muscles and lungs, he didn’t slow down. Extra time started with a great cross from Jan Bisek, giving Thuram a chance, but Thuram headed it home. Riquelme then fired a shot for Memphis, which Sommer managed to save. Martinez then returned to the other end and his header narrowly missed the target.

Nerves frayed, crevices hacked, noises shaking the place. The players were scattered, but they still ran. This was a wild, open, back-and-forth game with desperation on both ends, and everyone was on a knife’s edge. Until he finally finds himself in the cruelest place in the world of football.