Atletico Madrid send Barcelona packing

Atletico Madrid 1 Barcelona 0 (Agg: 2-1)

These really are the best days of their lives. Atletico Madrid are in the semi-final of the European Cup for the first time in 40 years and it is no fluke. How appropriate that the man who scored the goal that took them there should be called Koke Resurreccion. Atletico were Spain's losers, remember. They called them El Pupas, the jinxed one. No more. A manager may never have had such an immediate and complete an impact on a club as Diego Simeone has at the Vicente Calderon.

Football’s Robin Hood, as their midfielder Tiago called them, continue to rob from the rich. Here, they took from Barcelona, who will be absent from a Champions League semi-final for the first time in seven years. And victory, met with a roar that almost made your ears bleed, was entirely deserved.

The only surprise was that Barcelona lasted as long as they did. A goal down after six minutes, they were still a goal down after 90. They had chances, sure, but not as many as their hosts, who left the posts shuddering three times. Barca, too, will shudder when they look back on this.

“Win, win, win and win again” declared the mosaic that stretched across one side of a packed stadium. The phrase honoured its author, Luis Aragones, yet Atletico did not necessarily need to win. A draw could take them through.

That seemed plausible too: four times these teams had met this season; four times they had drawn. It was natural to expect something similar here, all the more so as the top scorer Diego Costa was injured and not even on the bench.

It all started with Raul Garcia shooting over from a similar position to the one from which Diego had scored in the first leg. Then Adrian smashed a shot against the bar. The ball dropped to David Villa whose cross reached Adrian and he knocked it down for Koke, who was free near the other post to score. The roar was deafening.

It would be tempting to say that Barcelona were soon hanging on for dear life, except that they were barely hanging on at all. It was all they could do to hope that the storm would pass. They looked terrified and overrun, a team with virtually no defence and a goalkeeper who frightened them almost as much as the forwards running beyond them.

So much for waiting; Atletico sensed the weakness and stepped forward, pushing Barcelona on to the ropes. The amazing thing was that they did not land the knockout blow. Villa turned and shot over, Jose Pinto was nearly caught by Adrian and twice more they hit posts inside 20 minutes. Both times it was Villa, once from the left, once from the right. The score may have been different but this was every bit as much of a hammering as last season’s semi-final against Bayern Munich had been.

Just before the half-time whistle Cesc Fabregas went down in the area, his legs seemingly swept from under him by Diego Godin right in front of the touchline official. Howard Webb did not give a penalty, just as he had not when Adrian had tumbled at the other end minutes before.

Barcelona complained, but looking at the scoreboard they could have few complaints. There had been a run from Neymar, followed by a wonderful nutmeg, and a Lionel Messi header wide while Andres Iniesta had taken responsibility and sought to take control but survival was as much as they could have expected.

If Barcelona had been given a second chance, they appeared determined to take it. The Catalan side began the second half creating the best chance of the night thus far. Xavi and Messi combined and the former played in Neymar. Thibaut Courtois was quickly to him and the loose ball dropped to Messi, who was swiftly suffocated by a crowd of defenders. A moment later, the ball dropped to Xavi five yards out, with Courtois looking uncertain for once. Leaning back, Xavi scooped his shot over the bar. He had the next chance, too, and it was a good one. But he headed wide from Dani Alves’s cross.

Gerardo Martino made his first change just after, taking off Fabregas, who did not even wait to see the board before departing. Alexis Sanchez went on but instead the opportunity fell to the man who followed him on to the pitch a minute later and the chances fell the way of the home side, dashing forward when tiredness permitted. Adrian left to a standing ovation and Diego came on - he soon escaped down the right and drew a sharp save from Pinto at the near post.

Next the Barcelona goalkeeper made another save when Atletico broke free on the other side. Gabi and Villa raced through, Villa running to make space. Gabi tried to slot the ball into the far corner from around 10 yards but Pinto stuck out a foot. A minute later, Villa seemed to be barged over in the Barcelona area but Webb again said “no”; as bodies tumbled all around the follow-up shot was blocked.

Neymar put a diving header wide from Alexis’s cross. But this was desperate now. Barcelona lacked imagination, still less inspiration. And when the best chance fell in the final minute, it fell to Cristian Rodriguez, an Atletico substitute. Pinto saved the chance but no one saved Barcelona. Atletico’s incredible story continues.

Guardian Service