Title holders Real Madrid secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after defeating Atletico Madrid 4-2 on penalties in a dramatic last-16 clash on Wednesday.
Antonio Rüdiger sealed the victory, with Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak getting his hands on the ball but failing to keep it from crossing the line. Oblak had earlier saved Lucas Vazquez’s penalty, but Atletico’s Julian Alvarez saw his successful spot-kick disallowed for a double touch, while Marcos Llorente struck the crossbar.
Real Madrid had won the first leg 2-1 at home, but Atletico’s Conor Gallagher leveled the tie in the opening minute at the Wanda Metropolitano. Vinicius Junior had a chance to restore Real’s advantage in the 70th minute after Clement Lenglet fouled Kylian Mbappe, but the Brazilian fired his penalty over the crossbar.
Despite the miss, Real maintained their unbeaten record against Atletico in Champions League knockout ties and finals. They now face Arsenal in the quarter-finals after the English side completed a commanding 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven with a 2-2 home draw.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund secured a 3-2 aggregate win over Lille and will take on Barcelona. Marco Asensio’s double helped Aston Villa cruise past 10-man Club Brugge 3-0 (6-1 on aggregate), setting up a clash with Paris Saint-Germain, who eliminated Liverpool.
Bayern Munich will face Inter Milan in the other quarter-final, with the matches set for April 8/9 and April 15/16.
