Atletico narrowly edge Barcelona
Atletico Madrid shock Barcelona as they progress past the Blaugrana in search of their first ever Champions League trophy. Yamal and Torres’ early goals gave Barcelona hope, but it proved to be too little too late for a comeback. PSG on the other hand booked their semi-final ticket thanks to two late Dembele goals that saw Les Parisiens ease past Liverpool. As this discussion unfolds, we will be unpacking the elements that saw each team progress into the semi-finals.
Simeone’s game plan works to perfection
First of all, starting with Atletico, who went against all the odds and knocked out Barcelona. Not to mention this was the third successive time Atletico knocked out Barcelona. You almost felt that the tie was practically decided at the Camp Nou. Even though a Barcelona win was possible, Atletico’s lightning-pace counter-attack and their ability to get the better of Barcelona’s backline made it almost a given that they would score at the Metropolitano. They did exactly that despite Barcelona threatening to overturn the tie around with their insane high press that forced Atletico to make mistakes. Despite Barcelona’s numerous efforts to force the tie into extra time in the second half, Atletico managed to produce yet another defensive masterclass to shut down one of the best European attacks.
PSG catch out Liverpool
Paris Saint-Germain completely outclassed Liverpool in both legs, and it almost seemed inevitable that they were going to progress. Considering Liverpool’s defensive woes this season, they will want to turn the page over to next season. Despite Liverpool’s chances on goal, they never seemed to quite get over the line. In fact, Liverpool had an xG of 1.94, which goes to show how active they were in attack. At the end of the day, however, when facing an opponent of PSG’s quality, they will always punish you for not taking your chances.
