Atletico Madrid 0, Manchester City 0 (Manchester City win 1-0 on Aggregate)
Manchester City held on for a goalless draw to beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 on aggregate after a dramatic battle at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Embed from Getty ImagesFelipe was sent off at the start of 12 minutes of injury time after City were given a good working over by Atleti who softened them up with some early agricultural challenges before turning up the heat in a dramatic second half.
And while they were bright in the first half – Ilkay Gundogan hit the post – City were hanging on by the end as Atleti turned the tide after the break but couldn’t turn their chances into an equaliser before a stunning 12 minutes of injury time off the back of a red card for Felipe who remarkably was the only Atleti player to be sent off after the home side employed the full gamut of dark arts in targeting Phil Foden.
Atleti ended the game with more shots on goal (14 to 10) and 3 shots on target to City’s 1 although City edged the possession 60% but thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s first leg strike and a composed second leg in Spain it will be City who return to Madrid to face Real Madrid in the semi finals of the Champions League.
The collateral damage from their efforts could be far reaching through – Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and Phil Foden were walking wounded by the end, and Joao Cancelo will be suspended for the first game of the semi final after his late booking as an exhausted Manchester City go into the weekend’s FA Cup semi final against Liverpool this Saturday.
UEFA Man of the match John Stones saluted his side’s performance and highlighted team mate Phil Foden’s resilience after he was targeted for special treatment by the Atletico Madrid defenders who identified him as a threat after his match winning cameo in the first leg.
Stones said: “I thought we dealt with them really well.
“Over two legs I think we played incredible against such an experience team playing a low block.
“We kept our control and tempers – it’s so easy to get drawn into that.
“We knew it’s not an easy place to come – it’s my first time here.
“We had to control ourselves, the lads who came off the bench had an incredible impact.
“Everyone played their part.
“Phil was such a threat, he had an instant impact in the first game and gained us yards and bought fouls tonight – I bet he’ll be feeling it after the game now.”
City boss Pep Guardiola was relieved after making his ninth Champions League semi final after an attritional battle in Madrid.
He paid respects to their opponents, and the difficulty in playing against them.
He said: “They are the champions of Spain.
“We had the chance to do it [score] in the first half but they were better than us in the second half. We were lucky we did not concede.
“The opponents are so tough, everyone who comes here suffers.”
He remained tight lipped about the injury time drama and the targeting of Phil Foden by the home side, refusing to fan the inevitable flames, and stating:
“I cannot talk about what the others do.”
And even though was delighted that City were in their third Champions League semi final, he admitted that City were happy to be there but would count the cost of victory in the days to come.
He added: “We are in big trouble, we played three days ago and travelled here. We have a lot of injuries right now and don’t know what will happen.
”We can’t score four or five goals all the time, we came out of a difficult game against Liverpool and came here.”
Bruising battle in Madrid as Manchester City refuse to rise to Atletico Madrid bait and qualify for Champions League semi finals
Guardiola made two changes to the side that drew 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium.
Ilkay Gündoğan and Riyad Mahrez came into the side for the suspended Gabriel Jesus, while Raheem Sterling started on the bench for City.
It was always going to be a bruising encounter at the Wanda Metropolitano and Atleti defender Felipe certainly made his presence felt, clattering into both Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne early in the first half.
Foden needed a bandage on a head wound while De Bruyne went on to see his shot blocked by the big Brazilian.
City began to pick apart the home defence though and should have gone into the lead when Foden squared a cross from Kyle Walker into the path of Gundogan who stroked it into the net only to see it come off the post – his follow-up shot was chested away by Felipe.
John Stones, Foden, and Joao Cancelo all had presentable chances but it was the home side that got the first shot on target as Geoffrey Kondogbia’s shot was saved by Ederson.
The battles continued in the second half as the home side decided it was time to have a go before the hour mark to try and catch City on the hop.
Joao Felix was offside while stretching to reach a Renan Lodi cross as Atleti became more adventurous, the Portuguese wasted a Marcos Llorente cross with Lodi behind him soon afterwards.
The Portuguese turned provider and laid the ball on to Antoine Griezmann whose left footed shot from outside the area curled just wide of the back post – the home fans’ backing was fuelling the big push.
Raheem Sterling was City’s first change – introduced for De Bruyne who appeared to be struggling earlier in the game and was seen with his right leg bandaged after he went off.
Walker went down injured after colliding with Lodi and Atletico Madrid took the opportunity to make a triple change – Angel Correa, Yannick Carrasco and Rodrigo de Paul were brought on for Lodi, Koke, and Griezmann with the home side throwing more people into the attack.
And de Paul fired just wide after Llorente cut the ball back to him as Atleti made the most of City’s poor second half.
Walker couldn’t continue and Nathan Ake was brought on to replace him with 17 minutes to go as City reshuffled their defence.
Correa tried to win a penalty by going down in the area before de Paul fired a shot wide and appeals for a VAR check fell on deaf ears.
Fernandinho replaced Bernardo Silva as City responded to the Atleti threat with their final change for the last 11 minutes.
Correa battled with the Brazilian veteran but shot wide when the ball broke for him.
Ex-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and Matheus Cunha were brought on for Thomas Lemar and Felix with 8 minutes to go as Atleti made their final throw of the dice.
And Suarez was denied by a clearance by Ake as he tried to create a late chance by racing into the box but saw the ball roll away from him.
Stones blocked a Correa shot while Savic couldn’t control the ball from an Atleti set piece – seeing the ball go wide as the home crowd got right behind their team.
Ake cleared the ball as it went across the area with Suarez dummying the ball while Foden was cynically scythed down by Felipe’s follow through after he won the ball as City went on the break resulting in a melee at the corner flag.
And as the game went into added time a VAR check against Felipe saw him sent off with a straight red card – the third time he got his marching orders this term and he dramatically kicked off as the home side reverted to type in sheer frustration at the City defensive performance.
There was an amazing nine minutes of added time declared after the melee was done with the referee dishing out bookings in injury time as the game drifted into a farce.
Oblak saved from Gundogan after the German had the chance to win it, instead Carrasco won a free kick late on and Ederson saved the fierce strike.
Correa tested Ederson one more time after getting up from trying to win a penalty 12 minutes into stoppage time to fire a shot in.
The battle wasn’t over with the final whistle after reports emerged of post match confrontations with former City defender Stefan Savic – who might have been sent off for his injury time antics – and Jack Grealish appeared to continue into the tunnel after full time after he was pictured pulling the hair of the England man.
MATCH STATS – Atletico Madrid 0, Manchester City 0 (Manchester City win 1-0 on Aggregate)
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Llorente, Savic, Felipe, Reinildo, Lodi (Correa 69), Griezmann (Carrasco 69), Koke (De Paul 69), Kondogbia, Lemar (Cunha 82), Joao Felix (Suarez 82)
Atletico Madrid subs not used: Lecomte, Suarez, Wass, Cunha, Hermoso, Vrsalijko, Serrano
Bookings: Felipe 24 (foul on Kevin De Bruyne), Llorente 80 (foul on Fernandinho); Savic 90+1 (kick on Phil Foden, headbutt on Raheem Sterling, pulling Jack Grealish’s hair)
Red Card: Felipe: 90+2 (VAR check for serious foul play against Phil Foden)
Manager Booking: Diego Simeone 90+10 (encroaching onto the pitch)
Man City: Ederson, Walker (Ake 73), Stones, Laporte, Cancelo, De Bruyne (Sterling 65), Rodri, Gundogan, Mahrez, Foden, Bernardo Silva (Fernandinho 79)
Man City subs not used: Steffen, Carson, Dias, Grealish, Zinchenko, Delap, Edozie, McAtee, Lavia
Booked: Rodri 85 (foul on Cunha); Ake 90+2 (dissent); Mahrez 90+4 (time wasting); Foden 90+6 (time wasting); Cancelo 90+7 (foul on Yannick Carrasco)
Referee: Daniel Siebert