Atletico Madrid have qualified for the Champions League semi-finals despite losing 2-1 to Barcelona in the second leg of their quarter-final.
The key to qualification was Atletico’s victory in the first leg, when they celebrated a 2-0 away win, which gave them an overall advantage and a place among the top four teams in Europe.
Barcelona opened the second leg in brilliant fashion, with Lamine Yamal scoring in the fourth minute, before Ferran Torres doubled the lead 20 minutes later.
However, the decisive moment came in the 31st minute when Ademola Lookman scored for Atletico, securing his team a place in the next round.
After the match, Atletico coach Diego Simeone was the center of attention. A video showing his reaction has gone viral on social media, with many users claiming that he sent a clear message to Barcelona fans and Lamine Yamali that “I can go to sleep.”
“Yamal is a good boy and very talented. He was looking for a one-on-one match, so he scored in the third minute and the media would have already crowned him the king of Europe. However, in football, the only thing that matters is who is in the draw tomorrow morning,” Simeone initially said.
“The media wants me to be terrified of a teenager because he does tricks and gives safe interviews. Come on, please.”
“For ten years I’ve had to stand on the sidelines and watch Cristiano Ronaldo score a hat-trick to eliminate my team from this competition. It’s a real horror. Lamine played a great game last night, but the reality is that we’re going to the semi-finals and he’s going to go home to watch us on TV. There’s a big difference between playing a beautiful game and being a nightmare,” the Atletico coach concluded.
The video gained even more popularity after it was shared by renowned football journalist, Fabrizio Romano.
