Atlético claim place in quarter-finals

Atlético Madrid beat Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1-0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League last 16. After a first leg that had also finished 1-0, the result saw the tie decided in a penalty shootout, with the hosts emerging victorious to clinch quarter-final qualification.

At a packed out Vicente Calderón, los rojiblancos came out in intense mood, but committed uncharacteristic errors in attack. Nevertheless, the Madrid side dug in and, in the 27th minute, Mario Suárez latched on to a knock-down to fire in with his left foot and level the tie, sending the home support into raptures. Shortly afterwards, Mario Mandžukić was close to grabbing a second after a great pass from Arda Turán, but was out of luck and the scoreboard stood at 1-0 at the break.

The second half saw few chances. Koke and Arda enjoyed the most dangerous opportunities, but were unable to beat Bernd Leno in the Germans’ goal. The match went into extra time and, although both sides were suffering from fatigue, Raúl García and Fernando Torres had attempts for the home team, with Rolfes responding for the visitors with an excellent long-range effort. Neither team was able to find the net, and the tie was settled on penalties, with Diego Simeone’s men winning out.

In the evening’s other encounter, Arsenal FC beat AS Monaco FC 0-2, but the French club’s 1-3 first-leg victory proved enough to see them qualify for the next stage on away goals. Real Madrid are already through to the quarter-finals after sealing a 5-4 aggregate win over FC Schalke 04 last Tuesday, while Wednesday sees FC Barcelona play their last-16 second leg against Manchester City.