Atletico sink Liverpool found in extra time
Holders Liverpool crashed from the Champions League within the last 16 after Atletico Madrid scored three goals in extra time to earn a good shock 3-2 victory in Anfield on Wednesday that sent them through 4-2 on aggregate.
After falling 2-0 down on the night time, substitute Marcos Llorente struck twice in extra time and Alvaro Morata added a later third to ensure a famous victory for Diego Simeone's side against a Liverpool team unbeaten within their last 25 home games in European competition.
Premier League leaders Liverpool enjoyed the greater possession, created more probabilities, drew a number of saves from Atletico keeper Jan Oblak and scored through Georginino Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino.
Yet soon after last season's memorable comeback simply by Liverpool against Barcelona found in the semi-finals, it was the Spaniards who also turned the tables this time.
Simeone's Atletico are famed for his or her defensive solidity and their outstanding organisation and those qualities were on full display, but it was their clinical finishing and impressive spirit that proved the key elements.
"We don't know where our limit is certainly," said Llorente who possessed only have scored once for Atletico before this game.
"We all defended until the death so when a workforce all digs in like this, things such as this happen. I cannot describe this sense," he said.
Liverpool supervisor Juergen Klopp was not impressed with Atletico's methodology, however.
"I hardly understand with the product quality they possess the football they take up. They could play proper football nonetheless they stand deep and also have counter episodes," said the German.
"We accept it of training course nonetheless it doesn't feel correct tonight," he said.
Soon after allowing an early opportunity for Diego Costa, that your former Chelsea forwards drove in to the side-netting, Liverpool, trailing 1-0 from the initially leg, laid siege to the Atletico goal.
They powered forward in waves of attacks but Atletico were resilient with central defenders Stefan Savic and Felipe foiling everything Klopp's aspect threw at them.
The house team broke through two minutes before halftime when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain burst to the byline and pulled back again a cross to Wijnaldum who powered an angled header in to the bottom corner.
LITTLE CHANGE
There is little change to the pattern of the game following the interval with Liverpool peppering Oblak's goal however the Slovenian proved himself up to the duty, denying efforts from Mohamed Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane while Andy Robertson headed against the bar.
Atletico thought that they had grabbed a stoppage-time champion when Saul Niguez headed in a good Renan Lodi cross however the effort was rightly flagged for offside, ensuring the game went to more time.
It took just 4 moments for Liverpool to have the business lead in the tie with Firmino heading against the post and driving residence the loose ball as Anfield got set for a night of celebration.
Yet then it all went wrong for Klopp's side.
Goalkeeper Adrian, standing in for the injured Alisson Becker, passed the ball out right to Joao Felix who fed Llorente and the alternative punished the Spanish keeper with an accurate shot in to the far corner.
Llorente produced a carbon-copy finish following great work on the counter from Morata to get rid of Liverpool's expectations of defending their European crown.
Morata set the icing on the cake in the final occasions with a cool end after Liverpool had thrown all their players forward.
The pain of this exit will surely ease for Liverpool, who are 25 points clear in the Premier League and can soon win their first domestic league title for 30 years.
But for Atletico, who have by no means won Europe's premier golf club competition, this is a triumph which will keep these things dreaming of sustained things.
"This will decrease in our history," said Simeone.
"It fills all of us with pride as a golf club, to be once again among the top eight clubs found in Europe."
