Eric Garcia receives a red card, Barcelona eliminated by Atletico in Champions League quarter-finals

Atletico Madrid withstands Barcelona's suffocating pressure to officially secure a spot in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in nearly a decade.

Barcelona lost 0-2 in the first leg, so they started the quarter-final second leg with great determination. In the 4th minute, Lamine Yamal scored the opening goal for the Catalan side. Originating from Lenglet's mistake with a poor pass in their own half, Barcelona launched a quick attack. Yamal broke free after Torres' pass to score, giving Barcelona a 1-0 lead.

Yamal opens the scoring for Barcelona

By the 24th minute, Barcelona increased the score to 2-0, also equalizing the aggregate score when Torres scored. After Olmo's through ball, Torres controlled the ball neatly before unleashing a close-range shot that the opposing goalkeeper could not stop.

However, Atlético responded promptly in the first half with a goal by Ademola Lookman in the 31st minute. Lookman neatly finished a sharp counter-attack following a perfectly set-up pass from Marcos Llorente.

All hopes for the Catalan side gradually faded as they had to play with a man down from the 80th minute. Defender Eric García received a direct red card after fouling Alexander Sorloth to prevent a potential goal-scoring opportunity.

Playing with a man short, Barcelona could not increase their lead in the remainder of the match. After 90 minutes, Barcelona won 2-1, but on aggregate, Atletico Madrid won 3-2 over the two legs to secure the ticket to advance.

The last time Atlético reached the Champions League semi-finals was in 2017. Diego Simeone's team will face Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the next round. Arsenal currently leads 1-0 after the first leg in Lisbon.

Starting Lineups

Atlético Madrid (4-4-2): Musso; Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Llorente, Koke, Griezmann; G. Simeone, Lookman, Álvarez

FC Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Koundé, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martín, Cancelo; Pedri, Gavi; Yamal, Dani Olmo, Fermín López; Ferran Torres