Oblak’s heroics propel Atletico to the Champions League quarterfinals

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MADRID, March 14, (AP): Jan Oblak made two saves and Lautaro Martínez sent his shot over the crossbar as Atletico Madrid defeated Inter Milan 3-2 on penalties after scoring a late winner in regulation to return to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Oblak saved the penalties by Alexis Sánchez and Davy Klaassen before Martínez missed the final kick for last year’s runner-up in the European competition.
“In the end, it’s a bit about luck in the shootout,” Oblak said. “Because you have to choose the correct side and you have to make the stop. If the player takes the kick perfectly, it’s impossible to stop it. Gladly, I was able to make the saves. What matters is the victory and that we made it to the quarterfinals.”

Depay, Rodrigo Riquelme, and Ángel Correa converted their penalties for Atletico, with Saúl Ñíguez having his shot saved by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi scored for the visitors in the shootout.

Atletico reversed the 1-0 first-leg loss after Memphis Depay scored an 87th-minute goal that gave Diego Simeone’s team a 2-1 win in regulation.
Atletico didn’t make it past the group stage last season and was eliminated by Manchester City in the last eight in 2021-22.

Inter, which lost last year’s final to Man City, had arrived at the Metropolitano Stadium enjoying a 13-game winning streak. It hadn’t lost in 15 consecutive games in all competitions and had won all of its matches in 2024.
Inter opened the scoring in regulation with Federico Dimarco in the 33rd, but Atletico equalized two minutes later with Antoine Griezmann in his return from injury.

The eight teams in the draw for the quarterfinals are Atletico, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona.
It was an open match at the Metropolitano Stadium, with Atletico pressing forward from the start and Inter threatening on counterattacks.

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