Despite a 2-1 home defeat to Barcelona in a thrilling encounter, Atletico Madrid leads 3-2 on aggregate.
Published on 14 April 2026
Atletico Madrid knocked 10-man Barcelona out of the Champions League and reached the last four with a 3-2 aggregate win despite losing 2-1 in the quarterfinal second leg.
Lamin Yamal and Ferran Torres put visiting Barca ahead inside 24 minutes on Tuesday, but Ademola Lookman’s strike gave Atletico the lead once again in the all-Spain clash after a 2-0 win in the first leg.
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Diego Simeone’s side returned to the semi-finals against the La Liga champions for the first time since 2017 in a compelling and bloody battle.
Barcelona finished the game with 10 players as Eric García was sent off for bringing down Alexander Sörloth as he was running towards goal, disrupting his chance to score a third goal to force extra time.
Atletico, who have never won the competition and lost the 2014 and 2016 finals under Simeone, will face Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the semi-finals.
Barca coach Hansi Flick lined up forwards Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski for workhorse Torres and Gavi, looking to put sustained pressure on Atletico in the sixth match between these sides this season.
Barça flew out of the blocks in a fiery atmosphere at the Metropolitano stadium, with goalkeeper Juan Musso curling an effort around his post after just 32 seconds.
The teenage winger put the visitors ahead after just four minutes when he troubled Clement Lenglet with the ball.
Torres pushed it back to Yamal, who fired a low shot through the legs of Musso to silence the home fans and ignite Barca’s comeback attempt.
Dani Olmo almost got a second, but Musso was able to reach his attempted lob as Barça continued to dominate.
Antoine Griezmann had a shot deflected wide as Atletico showed occasional flashes of brilliance, mostly through enterprising winger Lookman, who gave Jules Kounde a difficult night.
Barcelona doubled their lead in the 24th minute and leveled the aggregate score when Torres passed Lenglet to Olmo and fired past Musso into the top corner.
Fermín López could have scored Barca’s third, but Musso nudged out his header and left the midfielder bloodied when his boot hit the Spaniard’s face.
Atlético came back into the game in the 31st minute after Barça went on the defensive for the first time.
Marcos Llorente charged in from just behind the Catalans’ high defensive line and crossed for Lookman to convert on goal.
Barcelona, who had complained to UEFA about a handball incident for which they were not awarded a penalty in the first leg, were left frustrated when Olmo went to the ground under pressure in the box and their appeal was rejected.
The five-time winners were frustrated again early in the second half when Torres took aim but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Flick sent on Rashford and Lewandowski with about 20 minutes remaining to get the goal that last season’s semi-finalists needed to advance.
Barca stopper Joan Garcia made a good save with his legs to deny Robin Le Normand from close range as Atletico almost equalized on the night.
Matteo Ruggieri was bleeding from the face after being caught with an elbow by Gavi, which added to the tension.
The game went away from Barça when Eric García was sent off for clipping Sorloth’s heels while running towards goal, similar to Pau Quibarsi’s red card in the first leg.
Flick fired centre-back Ronald Araujo in front for the final leg, but there was no way back and Atletico gritted their teeth through eight minutes of stoppage time before the celebrations began.
In Tuesday’s other Champions League quarter-final, Ousmane Dembele struck twice to seal Paris Saint-Germain’s place in the last four with a 2-0 win over Liverpool, securing a 4-0 aggregate victory at a rain-soaked Anfield.
The holders withstood sustained pressure from Liverpool, who were booed by the home crowd, but held on to the lead they had taken in the first leg in Paris last week to book a fifth semi-final place in seven seasons.
Dembele scored at Anfield for the second consecutive campaign when he latched onto a ball from Bradley Barkola in the 72nd minute and fired a shot past Giorgi Mamardashvili into the bottom corner from 20 yards. He completed his double early in stoppage time, receiving a cross from Barcola.
PSG will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the next round, with the German team leading 2-1 ahead of Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg.
