Key events
Half-time entertainment. And in no-longer-Champions-League-related news …
HALF TIME: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (agg 2-2)
This scoreline doesn’t flatter the hosts at all. Real, who have never quite recovered from conceding after 28 seconds, are clinging on a bit to aggregate parity. Atlético have been superb.
45 min +1: Two corners follow. Alvarez sends the first one to the near post, forcing Bellingham to head behind. That was going in. The replay is hit long, and very nearly creeps over Courtois and into the top right! Just over the bar. The keeper backpedaling hysterically.
45 min: … Oblak claims, then bowls the ball out for Simeone, who challenges for it down the left with Vinicius Junior. The Real striker gets to it first, but only manages to poke it further down the flank and out for an Atlético corner! On the touchline, Diego Simeone celebrates that like a goal. You wouldn’t have him any other way.
44 min: Mbappe works hard down the left to win a Real corner. Modric trots over to take. And …
43 min: Rudiger, quarterbacking from deep, curls a long cross in from the right. Tchouaméni, on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box, gets in Bellingham’s way. The ball clanks out for a corner, and that’s another thing for Bellingham to rant about. His team-mate in the firing line this time. Not the happiest chappie right now.
41 min: Simeone flips a cute pass down the inside-right channel to release Alvarez into the Real box. From a tight angle, Alvarez hammers hard. Courtois parries around the post. Nothing comes for the corner, but Real are hanging on a bit here. What Atléti would give to find a second, and hit the aggregate lead while the going’s good.
39 min: Tchouaméni hangs out a cynical leg to stop Griezmann turning into space, and the yellow card finally comes out. Tchouaméni will miss Real’s next match, should they get through.
36 min: De Paul slips a pass down the right for Simeone, who earns another corner for Atlético. Griezmann whips it in, and finds Lenglet in space, ahead of Mendy, six yards out. A huge chance! But he slaps his header miles wide right. That should have been 2-0.
35 min: Griezmann is clipped by Vinícius Júnior, 30 yards from the Real goal. Another of those nearly-but-not-quite bookings. Real still not happy, though, and argue the toss. The aristocrats agitated and affronted. The free kick leads to a corner, from which Griezmann crosses low from the right. Courtois does well to deflect it away from the danger zone.
33 min: This is pretty scrappy at the moment, and Atlético won’t mind one jot.
31 min: Bellingham gets in the referee’s face, as is his occasional wont. Over very little, it needs to be said. Then he has a long and frank exchange of views with De Paul. Bellingham’s not afraid to tell it as he sees it, that’s already been long established. A bit early to get this frustrated, though, surely. Perhaps he should borrow some of Carlo’s gum.
29 min: … and the resulting corner is about as good as Mbappe’s theatrical crumble. We move on.
28 min: Modric swings one in from the right. Mbappe tries to chest it down and flops over. Gimenez, directly behind the striker, bundles the ball out for a corner. Mbappe wants a penalty, but again, come on and come off it.
26 min: A simple long pass down the left channel for Alvarez, who sends a rising shot towards the top-left corner. Courtois parries confidently. Real aren’t dealing particularly well with these long speculative balls.
25 min: Gallagher goes barrelling up the left touchline and is nicked from behind by Rodrygo. You’ve seen players booked for less, but Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the last World Cup final, is keeping his powder dry and cards in his pocket.
23 min: Now it’s Atléti’s turn to enjoy a little bit of patient possession. The crowd enjoy it as their defenders give the Real press the runaround.
21 min: Alvarez swings a shot-cum-cross in from the right. The ball only just squeaks past the left-hand post, though Courtois had it covered.
20 min: Vinícius Júnior jinks down the left and slips over. He still manages to flip the ball into the air while sliding along the turf. It hits the arm of Simeone, standing right next to him. A penalty is claimed, but the referee is quite correctly not interested.
18 min: Valverde wins a corner down the Real right but the set piece is no good. Oblak hasn’t had any work to do yet.
17 min: Bellingham is robbed again, allowing Griezmann to take the ball off him as he attempts to chest down in the casual style. A sluggish start. Penny for the thoughts of Brahim Díaz, who made way for the England star.
16 min: Gallagher steals the ball from Bellingham and releases Alvarez down the left flank. Alvarez trots off down a cul-de-sac and the chance to launch another counter is gone.
14 min: Real continue to hog the ball. They’ve settled well. Such a shame for them that they turned up for their shift 28 seconds too late.
12 min: … but if there’s any team more than happy to sit back and soak it up, it’s Atléti. A lot of whistling from the stands as Real patiently probe hither and yon.
10 min: Rodrygo dribbles with great purpose down the right only to find Reinildo a shut door. Thing is, apart from one not inconsiderable caveat, Real have started reasonably well!
8 min: Real have had most of the possession since that early stunner. Vinicius Jr waltzes in from the left and attempts a curler. Blocked and deflected for a corner. Modric hits it long and Oblak punches clear. “Have Atlético scored too early?” wonders Gary Byrne, because somebody had to.
6 min: Oblak, under pressure from Vinicius Jr, shanks out for a corner. Before the set piece can be taken, Simeone goes down theatrically, twice, upon being lightly shoved by Mbappe. The referee has a quick word with the chip off the old block. Nothing comes of the set piece.
4 min: … while on the touchline, Diego Simeone tries his level best to retain his supercool. Carlo chewing at his gum with a bit more vigour, though.
2 min: The roof of the Metropolitano, as you’d expect, is currently spinning off towards Catalonia. The poor clearance Griezmann intercepted was by Raúl Asencio. Everyone in Real white looking around at each other stunned!
SENSATIONAL GOAL! Atlético 1-0 Real (Gallagher 28 sec); agg 2-2
Atletico hit it long. A poor clearance. Griezmann intercepts. Alvarez slips the ball wide right to De Paul, who crosses low. Simeone tries to back-flick home at the near post but misses. Gallagher, racing in behind, doesn’t, though. What a start!
And they’re off! Atlético Madrid get the ball rolling. “There’s no doubt that this clash of bitter rivals offers unparalleled movement and passion. I’m referring to Carlo Ancelotti’s eyebrows and Diego Simeone going berserk in the technical area. The actual football might be good too.” Peter Oh, damas y caballeros. He’s here all week. Try the tapas.
The teams are out! Atléti in their mattress-influenced red and white stripes, Real in their meringue-tasty white. The atmosphere a beautiful brouhaha. We’ll be off in a Zadok-the-Priest-soundtracked moment or two!
Here’s some more historical evidence suggesting Atlético are right up against it tonight. They’ve won 13 and lost 12 of the European ties in which they’ve lost the first leg away, a narrow positive albeit one very much second best to Real’s record after winning their first leg at home: they’ve gone through in 49 of 62 ties. Atléti will however be buoyed by memories of last year, when they dispatched Internazionale on penalties in this round after losing the first leg in Milan. So let’s rule nothing out.
Quite a few rascals are one booking away from missing the first leg of the quarter-final should their team get through. Atlético have José María Giménez and Ángel Correa on the edge; Real’s substantially longer list features Luka Modrić, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Antonio Rüdiger, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick and Carlo Ancelotti himself.
Both teams make two changes to their starting XI after last week’s first leg at the Bernabéu. Atlético call up Conor Gallagher and Reinildo, Javi Galán and Samuel Lino dropping to the bench. Real recall Jude Bellingham and captain Luka Modrić, with Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Díaz benched.
The teams
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Reinildo, Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher, Griezmann, Alvarez.
Subs: Musso, Azpilicueta, Sorloth, Correa, Lemar, Samuel Dias, Molina, Riquelme, Witsel, Galan, Le Normand, Kostis.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy, Rodrygo, Tchouameni, Modric, Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior.
Subs: Lunin, Gonzalez, Alaba, Camavinga, Guler, Endrick, Lucas, Garcia, Diaz, García, Ramon, Andres.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
Preamble
Atlético have been paired with their Madrid neighbours Real on five previous occasions in Europe’s most prestigious club competition. The 1959 semis. The 2014 final. The 2015 quarters. The 2016 final. The 2017 semis. Real have prevailed on each and every occasion. If history is any guide, Diego Simeone’s side may as well turn it in now.
Recent form won’t give them any succour either. Real won the first leg of this tie 2-1, despite an underwhelming performance at the Bernabéu last week. Then in La Liga at the weekend, Real won 2-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano thanks to first-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, while Atléti conceded in the 88th and 92nd minutes to go down 2-1 at Getafe.
There’s also the small matter of Real Madrid in the European Cup being Real Madrid in the European Cup. So it’s fair to say the cards are stacked against Atléti. But having said all of that, they’ve won two of the last three Derbi Madrileños at Estadio Metropolitano (and drawn the other) to an aggregate score of 8-4. And you can be damn sure a side of Simeone’s isn’t going to lie down and die wondering. So this could be a cracker, as the two Madrid giants battle for the right to face Arsenal (or PSV, but c’mon) in the quarter-finals. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT, 9pm local. Extra-time and penalties à la Anfield if required. It’s on!
