Atlético Madrid through in CL thanks to hero role Memphis Depay and miss Klaassen

Atlético Madrid has qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Inter. After the first leg in Milan ended 1-0, Atleti had to score at least one goal to force extra time. That became two after Federico Dimarco's opening goal, but Atlético still managed to win in regular time thanks to Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay: 2-1. There was no goal in extra time, so a penalty shootout had to be taken. Misses by Alexis Sánchez and Davy Klaassen and Lautaro Martínez proved fatal for Inter.

The best news for Atlético before kick-off was undoubtedly the return of Griezmann. The top scorer of all time los Colchoneros dropped out of the first game with an ankle injury and therefore did not play again until Wednesday evening. Griezmann formed a striker pairing with Álvaro Morata, meaning Memphis started on the bench. Davy Klaassen was also on the bench at Inter; Stefan de Vrij and Denzel Dumfries did kick off. Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram were the strikers i Nerazzurri.

The opening phase was clearly for Atlético, which provided the first danger in the person of Samuel Lino. The Brazilian saw that Inter goalie Yann Sommer had to do his utmost to keep the ball out of the far corner. Inter was a bit overwhelmed, although Dumfries did cause some nervousness in Cívitas Metropolitano. The right full-back had plenty of space in front of him and shot twice at Jan Oblak from an awkward angle.

Inter was, as it has been all season, defensively strong. However, the Milanese hardly thought about attacking. Playmakers Hakan Çalhanoglu and Nicolò Barella tried to force openings, but to no avail. Atlético played more adventurously, although that did not yield anything, except for a header from Morata. On the other hand, it suddenly happened. De Vrij found Lautaro on the left. The Argentinian gave in to Barella, who in turn gave back to Dimarco. The left foot neatly rounded off with his right: 0-1.

Yet hope soon returned to the hearts of the Atleti fans. A cross from the right from Nahuel Molina to Morata initially yielded nothing. Koke brought the ball back into the box and as Benjamin Pavard missed the ball completely, Griezmann had the opportunity to find the far corner from close range. Morata seemed to have been offside for a moment with Molina's cross, but a hanging foot from De Vrij made Griezmann's goal legal: 1-1.

Just after halftime, an excellent move by Marcos Llorente almost made it 2-1. The Spaniard continued on the right side and put it back to Griezmann, who was forced to shoot with his inferior right. Sommer was able to save the ball in the short corner. Llorente was a danger on the right flank and created a new opportunity for Atlético with a tight pass. This time Morata was the final destination, but the Spaniard got the ball a little too far behind him and shot high over. Griezmann, who was behind Morata, was in a better position.

Nothing spectacular happened in the second half and that was partly due to Inter, which was excellently grouped. Time was ticking away in favor of the Milanese, who saw Diego Simeone intervene ten minutes before the end by bringing on Memphis and Pablo Barrios for Morata and Molina. Memphis was cold in the field when he was wanted by Llorente. The Dutch international eventually scored a harmless header.

At the other end, Barella had one of Inter's few chances after the break. However, the playmaker lacked strength in his effort, allowing Oblak to save. Five minutes before the end, fellow goalkeeper Sommer had no chance against a Memphis shot on the other side. To Metropolitano's dismay, his rock-hard shot hit the post.

The supporters did not have to mourn for long. At the next chance for Memphis it was still a hit. The attacker turned away from De Vrij and finished in the far corner: 2-1. Rodrigo Riquelme should have shot Atlético to the quarter-finals just before the end, if he had not shot over with complete freedom.

Extension
In extra time, Atleti seemed to still have to recover from Riquelme's enormous chance. Inter was the dominant party in the opening phase of the first half of extra time and also missed a huge opportunity. Yann Bisseck gave a sharp pass to Thuram, who headed over with complete freedom. On the other hand, Memphis was close to his second, if not for his shot against Sommer from close range. Lautaro also had a chance before the end of the first half. The Argentinian headed just wide from close range, to the dismay of spectator Christian Vieri, among others.

Inter also knocked on the door more emphatically than Atlético in the second half of the extra period, although that offensive yielded nothing, apart from two shots from Çalhanoglu. The strength gradually drained from both teams and so penalty kicks had to determine the winner.

Penalties
Çalhanoglu: hit (0-1)
Memphis: hit (1-1)
Alexis Sánchez: miss (1-1)
Saúl Ñíguez: miss (1-1)
Klaassen: miss (1-1)
Riquelme: hit (2-1)
Acerbi: hit (2-2)
Correa: hit (3-2)
Lautaro: miss (3-2)

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