Atletico Madrid conquer Anfield

Llorente's brace and Oblak's heroics earn quarter-final ticket

Atletico Madrid conquer Anfield
Atletic players jublate after the game

Atletico Madrid are through to the quarter-finals of the 2019/20 Champions League after a dramatic comeback against Liverpool in extra time.

After the additional period, it finished 3-2 to the Spanish side on the night at Anfield.

Marcos Llorente came off the bench and scored a brace in the extra period, while Alvaro Morata added on a score in the final seconds, but it was goalkeeper Jan Oblak who cemented his legendary status with a performance that won't ever be forgotten by Colchoneros.

The Slovenian stopper was ever-present, pulling off incredible save after incredible save just to keep Atletico alive to reach extra time.

Even after Liverpool grabbed the advantage through Roberto Firmino in the extra frame, Atletico never lost their heads and were handsomely rewarded with arguably the finest result in the Diego Simeone era.

It was no surprise to see Liverpool take the initiative and dictate play in the Atletico half, but Simeone's men were well set up and fended off the Reds for much of the first half.

Also helping was the play of Oblak, who was called on to save efforts from Sadie Mane and then Roberto Firmino.

Yet he could only do so much and Georgino Wijnaldum, much like he was in last season's semi-final second leg comeback against Barcelona, proved decisive, as he took a cross from the right flank from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and bounced in a header past Oblak for a 1-0 Liverpool lead and 1-1 on aggregate.

Things stayed the same to open the second stanza and Oblak once again came up with a massive stop, denying Oxlade-Chamberlain.

With Atletico pegged back and not offering anything going forward, Simeone needed help in midfield, so Llorente was called on to replace the ineffective Costa.

 

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Still, it was Liverpool closer to a tie-breaking goal and Firmino looked set to do it off a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Oblak said otherwise.

Minutes later Liverpool would be left frustrated again, this time the crossbar denying a header from Andy Robertson.

Liverpool continued to flood forward, stretching the Atletico defence at will, but there was no way past Oblak as full time approached.

At the other end Atletico mustered a dead-ball opportunity in stoppage time and thought they had scored, but Saul was correctly adjudged offside.

Simeone made his second switch to start extra time, with Sime Vrsaljko on for Kieran Tripper, but Atletico's defence could only hold out for so long and Firmino put Liverpool ahead 2-1 in the tie when he followed up a header that had hit the post.

But in true Simeone style, Atletico never gave up and a horrific giveaway from Adrian right to Joao Felix set up a chance for Llorente and the former Real Madrid man stroked home shot to give Atletico the tie-breaking away goal in a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

There was plenty of time left though for Liverpool to respond, but Atletico would land another haymaker right before the end of the first period of extra time when a square ball from Morata found Llorente, who fired in for his second of the night to make it 3-2 to the Spaniards in the tie.

The second Atletico goal deflated Liverpool, and as the minutes ticked away, every Atletico clearance whittled away Liverpool's resistance.

That would yield the final blow, as Morata polished off an attack with an excellent near-post finish to cap a 3-2 final and 4-2 aggregate scoreline that will long live in Atletico lore.