Real Madrid once again prevailed over Atletico Madrid in a dramatic Champions League penalty shootout, securing their spot in the quarter-finals where they will face Arsenal.

Atletico won 1-0 on the night, leveling the tie at 2-2 on aggregate after extra time. However, Real emerged victorious in the shootout, winning 4-2, with Antonio Rüdiger calmly converting the decisive penalty after two Atletico players failed to score.

Atletico’s Marcos Llorente struck the crossbar, while Julian Alvarez had his penalty disallowed after VAR confirmed he had made double contact with the ball. Atletico manager Diego Simeone admitted he didn’t see the infraction in the replays but trusted the VAR decision.

Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, who previously played for Atletico on loan, said he immediately noticed the double touch and informed the referee. "It's not easy to spot, but I felt it happened," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Atletico’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak expressed his disappointment, saying, “It hurts a lot. We played a great game but had some bad luck.”

The match at the Wanda Metropolitano saw Atletico take an early lead through Conor Gallagher, who made history by scoring the fastest goal by an English player in Champions League history—finding the net just 27 seconds into the game. His strike also made him the first Englishman to score in a Madrid derby.

Despite a late chance for Real Madrid, including a missed penalty by Vinicius Jr, the game remained deadlocked until the shootout. The result continues Real’s dominance over their city rivals in knockout matches, having previously eliminated Atletico in four consecutive years, including their 2016 Champions League final triumph.

Source: Sky News 

BDST: 1124 HRS, MAR 13, 2025
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