Manchester City produced a mature and disciplined performance to hold off the challenge of Atletico Madrid – and set up a Champions League semi-final showdown with the Spanish side’s city rivals Real.
Knowing a clean sheet would be enough to seal the tie, City kept their cool in the face of a hostile home crowd and intimidation from a physical Atleti side showing far more ambition than in the first leg.
Ilkay Gundogan could have made life much easier for Pep Guardiola’s men by slotting in from close range, instead of against the post in the first half.
But in the face of much-increased pressure and a home side pushing desperately for parity, City put up a resolute rearguard action to confirm their progression to the last four.
Atletico ended the fiery contest with 10 men when defender Felipe was shown a second yellow card for a dangerous follow-through on Phil Foden, having also caught the same player with an arm that drew blood from the England international’s head earlier in the game.
Real Madrid, who edged past Chelsea in a thrilling quarter-final tie on Tuesday, now stand between City and a second successive appearance in the final of Europe’s premier club competition.
Having lost to Thomas Tuchel’s Blues in last season’s final, Guardiola’s side are seeking a maiden Champions League title in a campaign where they are still challenging on three fronts.
They lead the Premier League by one point from second-placed Liverpool – and face Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in an FA Cup semi-final this Saturday.
- Live text commentary of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-finals, including Atletico Madrid v Man City
- Atletico Madrid avoid stadium closure
City dig deep to reach the last four
City have grown accustomed to controlling games of football at this level, strangling the life out of teams through sheer volume of possession before surgically picking them off in what are often benign, one-sided encounters.
For 45 minutes here, though, they were given a taste of their own medicine and forced to dig deep against extreme pressure from an increasingly desperate opponent, whose ill-discipline in stoppage time should could easily have resulted in further red cards.
It is a huge feather in City’s cap that they were able to hold firm against repeated attacks and then keep their heads as Atletico were losing theirs.
It is a shame that the credit the home side’s attacking display deserved was largely overshadowed by their unnecessary antics. They included a potential headbutt from former City centre-back Stefan Savic on Raheem Sterling – and hair pull on Jack Grealish – during an unsavoury melee involving both sets of players and the two benches after Felipe’s foul on Foden.
Clashes also continued at full-time as both sets of players made their way down the tunnel.
Prior to this, the 90 minutes had showcased a different approach from the Spanish champions in comparison to a first leg in which they operated largely in a 5-5-0 formation and failed to muster a single effort on goal.
Roared on by a vociferous home crowd, they pressed fiercely, harrying the City players all over the pitch.
Having stayed in the tie for three quarters of it – with Geoffrey Kondogbia’s blocked 35th-minute effort their solitary shot across both legs – the hosts came out swinging for the second period.
Antoine Griezmann went close, as did Rodrigo de Paul, Matheus Cunha and Luis Suarez, as boss Diego Simeone threw every attacking option he had onto the field in the hope of breaking the visitors down.
But this is not an easily intimidated City side, nor does their elite attacking prowess come at the expense of defensive frailty, even when injury affected Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker and forced the introduction of Nathan Ake.
John Stones was immense, with a block to deny a Cunha effort from close range the highlight of an intelligent and dogged display.
Keeper Ederson was also called upon for a heroic moment, saving superbly to stop Angel Correa’s shot after the ball had broken to the Atletico man in the box in the 11th minute of added time.
Celebrations were mixed among the confrontations at full-time, but City have little time to rest after this epic energy-sapping encounter.
Saturday sees them face Liverpool in the FA Cup semi and, two weeks from now, Real will visit the Etihad.
Player of the match
AkéNathan Aké
with an average of 7.62
Atlético Madrid
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Squad number7Player nameJoão Félix
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Squad number13Player nameOblak
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Squad number8Player nameGriezmann
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Squad number14Player nameMarcos Llorente
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Squad number11Player nameLemar
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Squad number12Player nameRenan Lodi
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Squad number4Player nameKondogbia
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Squad number6Player nameKoke
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Squad number23Player nameReinildo
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Squad number21Player nameCarrasco
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Squad number5Player namede Paul
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Squad number10Player nameCorrea
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Squad number15Player nameSavic
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Squad number18Player nameFelipe
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Squad number19Player nameMatheus Cunha
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Squad number9Player nameSuárez
Manchester City
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Squad number6Player nameAké
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Squad number25Player nameFernandinho -
Squad number47Player nameFoden -
Squad number5Player nameStones -
Squad number17Player nameDe Bruyne -
Squad number31Player nameEderson -
Squad number27Player nameJoão Cancelo
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Squad number2Player nameWalker -
Squad number14Player nameLaporte -
Squad number16Player nameRodri
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Squad number26Player nameMahrez -
Squad number8Player nameGündogan -
Squad number7Player nameSterling -
Squad number20Player nameBernardo Silva
Line-ups
Atl Madrid
Formation 5-4-1
- 13Oblak
- 14LlorenteBooked at 80mins
- 15SavicBooked at 90mins
- 18FelipeBooked at 90mins
- 23Mandava
- 12Lodi dos SantosSubstituted forCorreaat 70′minutes
- 8GriezmannSubstituted forCarrascoat 69′minutes
- 6KokeSubstituted forde Paulat 69′minutes
- 4Kondogbia
- 11LemarSubstituted forSuárezat 82′minutes
- 7SequeiraSubstituted forSantos Carneiro Da Cunhaat 82′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Lecomte
- 5de Paul
- 9Suárez
- 10Correa
- 17Wass
- 19Santos Carneiro Da Cunha
- 21Carrasco
- 22Hermoso
- 24Vrsaljko
- 26Serrano Martínez
Man City
Formation 4-3-3
- 31Ederson
- 2WalkerSubstituted forAkéat 73′minutesBooked at 90mins
- 5Stones
- 14Laporte
- 27CanceloBooked at 90mins
- 17De BruyneSubstituted forSterlingat 65′minutes
- 16RodriBooked at 85mins
- 8Gündogan
- 26MahrezBooked at 90mins
- 47FodenBooked at 90mins
- 20Bernardo SilvaSubstituted forFernandinhoat 79′minutes
Substitutes
- 3Rúben Dias
- 6Aké
- 7Sterling
- 10Grealish
- 11Zinchenko
- 13Steffen
- 25Fernandinho
- 33Carson
- 48Delap
- 53Edozie
- 87McAtee
- 90Lavia
- Referee:
- Daniel Siebert
- Attendance:
- 65,675
Live Text
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Match ends, Atletico Madrid 0, Manchester City 0.
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Second Half ends, Atletico Madrid 0, Manchester City 0.
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Attempt saved. Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Rodrigo de Paul.
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Attempt missed. Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
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Attempt saved. Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is saved in the top centre of the goal.
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João Cancelo (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by João Cancelo (Manchester City).
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Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Phil Foden (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.
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Foul by Rodri (Manchester City).
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Reinildo (Atletico Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt saved. Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Raheem Sterling with a through ball.
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Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.
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Fernandinho (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Matheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid).
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Second yellow card to Felipe (Atletico Madrid) for a bad foul.
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Nathan Aké (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.
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Stefan Savic (Atletico Madrid) is shown the yellow card.
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Attempt missed. Stefan Savic (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Matheus Cunha following a corner.
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Attempt missed. Matheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid) header from very close range is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
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Wednesday’s second leg in Madrid was the 100th that Manchester City have played in the Champions LeagueManchester City produced a mature and disciplined performance to hold off the challenge of Atletico Madrid – and set up a Champions League semi-final showdown with the Spanish side’s city rivals Real.Knowing a clean sheet would be enough to seal the tie, City kept their cool in the face of a hostile home crowd and intimidation from a physical Atleti side showing far more ambition than in the first leg.Ilkay Gundogan could have made life much easier for Pep Guardiola’s men by slotting in from close range, instead of against the post in the first half.But in the face of much-increased pressure and a home side pushing desperately for parity, City put up a resolute rearguard action to confirm their progression to the last four.Liverpool into semi-finals after Benfica thrillerAtletico ended the fiery contest with 10 men when defender Felipe was shown a second yellow card for a dangerous follow-through on Phil Foden, having also caught the same player with an arm that drew blood from the England international’s head earlier in the game.Real Madrid, who edged past Chelsea in a thrilling quarter-final tie on Tuesday, now stand between City and a second successive appearance in the final of Europe’s premier club competition.Having lost to Thomas Tuchel’s Blues in last season’s final, Guardiola’s side are seeking a maiden Champions League title in a campaign where they are still challenging on three fronts.They lead the Premier League by one point from second-placed Liverpool – and face Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in an FA Cup semi-final this Saturday.Live text commentary of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-finals, including Atletico Madrid v Man CityAtletico Madrid avoid stadium closureCity dig deep to reach the last fourCity have grown accustomed to controlling games of football at this level, strangling the life out of teams through sheer volume of possession before surgically picking them off in what are often benign, one-sided encounters.For 45 minutes here, though, they were given a taste of their own medicine and forced to dig deep against extreme pressure from an increasingly desperate opponent, whose ill-discipline in stoppage time should could easily have resulted in further red cards.It is a huge feather in City’s cap that they were able to hold firm against repeated attacks and then keep their heads as Atletico were losing theirs.It is a shame that the credit the home side’s attacking display deserved was largely overshadowed by their unnecessary antics. They included a potential headbutt from former City centre-back Stefan Savic on Raheem Sterling – and hair pull on Jack Grealish – during an unsavoury melee involving both sets of players and the two benches after Felipe’s foul on Foden.Clashes also continued at full-time as both sets of players made their way down the tunnel.Prior to this, the 90 minutes had showcased a different approach from the Spanish champions in comparison to a first leg in which they operated largely in a 5-5-0 formation and failed to muster a single effort on goal.Roared on by a vociferous home crowd, they pressed fiercely, harrying the City players all over the pitch.Having stayed in the tie for three quarters of it – with Geoffrey Kondogbia’s blocked 35th-minute effort their solitary shot across both legs – the hosts came out swinging for the second period.Antoine Griezmann went close, as did Rodrigo de Paul, Matheus Cunha and Luis Suarez, as boss Diego Simeone threw every attacking option he had onto the field in the hope of breaking the visitors down.But this is not an easily intimidated City side, nor does their elite attacking prowess come at the expense of defensive frailty, even when injury affected Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker and forced the introduction of Nathan Ake.John Stones was immense, with a block to deny a Cunha effort from close range the highlight of an intelligent and dogged display.Keeper Ederson was also called upon for a heroic moment, saving superbly to stop Angel Correa’s shot after the ball had broken to the Atletico man in the box in the 11th minute of added time.Celebrations were mixed among the confrontations at full-time, but City have little time to rest after this epic energy-sapping encounter.Saturday sees them face Liverpool in the FA Cup semi and, two weeks from now, Real will visit the Etihad.Player of the matchAkéNathan Akéwith an average of 7.62Atlético MadridSquad number7Player nameJoão FélixSquad number13Player nameOblakSquad number8Player nameGriezmannSquad number14Player nameMarcos LlorenteSquad number11Player nameLemarSquad number12Player nameRenan LodiSquad number4Player nameKondogbiaSquad number6Player nameKokeSquad number23Player nameReinildoSquad number21Player nameCarrascoSquad number5Player namede PaulSquad number10Player nameCorreaSquad number15Player nameSavicSquad number18Player nameFelipeSquad number19Player nameMatheus CunhaSquad number9Player nameSuárezManchester CitySquad number6Player nameAkéSquad number25Player nameFernandinhoSquad number47Player nameFodenSquad number5Player nameStonesSquad number17Player nameDe BruyneSquad number31Player nameEdersonSquad number27Player nameJoão CanceloSquad number2Player nameWalkerSquad number14Player nameLaporteSquad number16Player nameRodriSquad number26Player nameMahrezSquad number8Player nameGündoganSquad number7Player nameSterlingSquad number20Player nameBernardo SilvaLine-upsAtl MadridFormation 5-4-113Oblak14Llorente15Savic18Felipe23Mandava12Lodi dos Santos8Griezmann6Koke4Kondogbia11Lemar7Sequeira13Oblak14LlorenteBooked at 80mins15SavicBooked at 90mins18FelipeBooked at 90mins23Mandava12Lodi dos SantosSubstituted forCorreaat 70’minutes8GriezmannSubstituted forCarrascoat 69’minutes6KokeSubstituted forde Paulat 69’minutes4Kondogbia11LemarSubstituted forSuárezat 82’minutes7SequeiraSubstituted forSantos Carneiro Da Cunhaat 82’minutesSubstitutes1Lecomte5de Paul9Suárez10Correa17Wass19Santos Carneiro Da Cunha21Carrasco22Hermoso24Vrsaljko26Serrano MartínezMan CityFormation 4-3-331Ederson2Walker5Stones14Laporte27Cancelo17De Bruyne16Rodri8Gündogan26Mahrez47Foden20Bernardo Silva31Ederson2WalkerSubstituted forAkéat 73’minutesBooked at 90mins5Stones14Laporte27CanceloBooked at 90mins17De BruyneSubstituted forSterlingat 65’minutes16RodriBooked at 85mins8Gündogan26MahrezBooked at 90mins47FodenBooked at 90mins20Bernardo SilvaSubstituted forFernandinhoat 79’minutesSubstitutes3Rúben Dias6Aké7Sterling10Grealish11Zinchenko13Steffen25Fernandinho33Carson48Delap53Edozie87McAtee90LaviaReferee:Daniel SiebertAttendance:65,675Live TextMatch ends, Atletico Madrid 0, Manchester City 0.Second Half ends, Atletico Madrid 0, Manchester City 0.Attempt saved. Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Rodrigo de Paul.Attempt missed. Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.Attempt saved. Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is saved in the top centre of the goal.João Cancelo (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.Foul by João Cancelo (Manchester City).Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.Phil Foden (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.Foul by Rodri (Manchester City).Reinildo (Atletico Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.Attempt saved. Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Raheem Sterling with a through ball.Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.Fernandinho (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.Foul by Matheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid).Second yellow card to Felipe (Atletico Madrid) for a bad foul.Nathan Aké (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card.Stefan Savic (Atletico Madrid) is shown the yellow card.Attempt missed. Stefan Savic (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Matheus Cunha following a corner.Attempt missed. Matheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid) header from very close range is close, but misses to the left following a corner.Surviving the cost of living crisis: How are people coping with having to make do with less?Can they face their fears? Celebrities take on challenges in sub-zero temperatures with Wim Hof