NYON: The semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League will match England against Spain.
Manchester City survived some tempestuous final minutes in Madrid to claim a 0-0 draw against Atletico and 1-0 win on aggregate to earn a semi-final clash with Real. Liverpool were held 3-3 at home by Benfica but won through 4-2 overall to secure a last-four meeting with Villarreal.
Pep Guardiola’s City battled an intimidating atmosphere and a fired-up home side at the Wanda Metropolitano to edge a tense quarter-final courtesy of last week’s equally-draining 1-0 first-leg win.
Atletico finished with 10 men as Felipe – who escaped a booking for a challenge on Phil Foden in the first half – was sent off as home frustrations boiled over in the closing stages.
City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan went close to scoring when he hit the post in the first half but the visitors had to dig deep late on.
Atletico upped the tempo in the closing stages and there were some moments of alarm, not least when Antoine Griezmann shot narrowly wide and Angel Correa tested Ederson in stoppage time.
City withstood great provocation to hold out and book a return to the same city to face Real Madrid in the last four.
A number of players took knocks for their troubles, with Foden needing to be bandaged around the head and Kevin De Bruyne limping off.
Liverpool, too
Liverpool eased into a semi-final against Villarreal as even a sloppy 3-3 draw with Benfica saw them progress 6-4 on aggregate.
On the last two occasions the two teams had met in the last eight of this competition the Reds went on to lift the trophy (1978 and 1984) and there has been little to suggest they cannot make it three this season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have won nine of their 10 matches, scoring 25 goals – drawing a blank in their only one defeat to Inter Milan – and conceding just 10.
Holding a 3-1 advantage from the first leg afforded them a considerable cushion and like in the Estadio da Luz last week centre-back Ibrahima Konate opened the scoring with a header.
Roberto Firmino scored twice, his first Champions League goals at Anfield since March 2020, after Goncalo Ramos had equalised in the first half.
A ragged finish saw the visitors’ Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Nunez score late to dampen the party atmosphere and provide a warning – albeit it to a second-choice defence – that they cannot afford to take lightly the threat of Villarreal, considered the easier draw, who dispatched Bayern Munich to reach the semi-finals.
But ultimately Klopp’s seven changes to the side which drew with Manchester City on Sunday did not prove to be the slight gamble it may have looked on paper as Liverpool equalled Manchester United’s English record of reaching a 12th European Cup semi-final.
############