Neither Atletico Madrid nor Benfica were a priori the favorites in their qualifiers against Manchester United and Ajax, especially after the first leg draws, but this Wednesday they broke the predictions and won by the minimum (1-0) in two temples of European football, Old Trafford and Johan Cruyff Arena, to get into the quarterfinals of the League of Champions.
Both teams join those already qualified for the quarterfinals: Bayern, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The two matches were quite similar: local dominance, but without efficiency in the last few meters and both Atlético and Benfica took advantage of one of their few chances to win and win the knockout.
The red and white goal was scored by Brazilian Renan Lodi shortly before the break, while Benfica's goal was scored by Uruguayan Darwin Núñez as the match entered the final sprint (77).
Encouraged by their fans, United began by shuffling Atlético and Anthony Elanga, the author of the Mancunian goal in Madrid, came close to opening the scoring with a point-blank shot that was taken with the face of the red-and-white goalkeeper Jan Oblak (14).
- Red-and-white wall -
Little by little, Diego Simeone's team got rid of rival dominance and sought the contra to hurt the English. Portuguese Joao Felix even scored, but the referee cancelled the offside goal for Frenchman Antoine Griezmann (34).
It was the foretaste of what happened shortly after and almost with the same protagonists: the young Portuguese stopped the ball for Griezmann, who focused on the back post and Lodi headed the ball to the net (41).
In the worst moments of Atlético, Jan Oblak appeared to prevent the English from scoring, as when he stopped a dangerous shot by Bruno Fernandes just before the break (45+2) or a header by Frenchman Raphaël Varane (78).
Despite English pressure, Atlético held on defense until they sealed the qualification for the quarterfinals.
“When the team works as a team, it excites me. We were a competitive team, not ashamed of playing backwards, knowing what to do when we left,” said Simeone after the match, highlighting the “spirit” that Atleti has regained in the last month.
United coach Ralf Rangnick surrendered to the opponent's defensive game: “It's not that easy to break that wall. I think we didn't have the physique to break that wall of Atlético (...) We tried everything, we had two or three times at set pieces, but at stake we didn't generate much.”
- Decides Darwin Nunez -
In Amsterdam, Ajax's superiority over Benfica was even greater. True to their style, the Dutch monopolized the ball, but without precision in the last few meters, especially the Ivorian Sébastian Haller, one of the surprises of the current Champions League season and author of eleven goals in the top European club tournament.
Haller scored shortly after the initial whistle, but the referee cancelled it because of Dusan Tadic's offside (7).
Then, neither the Brazilian Antony (25 and 62), nor Ryan Gravenberch (36), nor Tadic (49) succeeded in beating the Greek goal of Benfica Odysseas Vlachodimos.
And Ajax forgave so much that he ended up paying it: a side foul by Mexican Edson Álvarez, was hung by Spaniard Alex Grimaldo in the heart of the area and there Darwin Núñez rose to head to the net (77).
“We played as a high quality team. We knew what we had to do. We suffered, but when we had the ball it was to enjoy. In the second half we managed to go against and score”, congratulated the 22-year-old Uruguayan striker, author this season of 4 goals in the Champions League and 20 in the Portuguese league.
Pressed by the result, Ajax had even less clarity of ideas in the last few meters and although they pushed until the end looking for the goal, they were unable to even force extra time.
“Our position game was excellent. We were really good with the ball. I congratulated my players. Maybe all we lacked was some creativity. It hurts that you are eliminated for a moment of inattention,” summarized Dutch coach Erik ten Hag in relation to the mistake of local goalkeeper André Onana in the Portuguese goal.
On Wednesday, the final two quarter-finalists will be announced, who will come out of the Juventus-Villarreal (1-1 in the first leg) and Lille-Chelsea (0-2) duels.
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