Atletico and Dortmund round off quarter final line-up
Atletico Madrid bounced back from two goals down on aggregate against Inter Milan to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a thrilling 3-2 penalty shoot-out triumph on Wednesday, while Borussia Dortmund made it past PSV Eindhoven. Trailing by a single goal after last month's first leg, Atletico looked dead and buried when Federico Dimarco pushed home Inter's opener at the Estadio Metropolitano. But Antoine Griezmann immediately pulled the hosts level on the night and three minutes before the end of the regulation 90 minutes substitute Memphis Depay took the tie to extra time at 2-2 with a fine low finish. That set up the decisive shoot-out which ended with Inter missing three of their five penalties, star striker Lautaro Martinez handing passage to the last eight to Atletico when he booted his spot-kick way off target. "I think penalties are a lottery. Today luckily I stopped two," said Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who saved from Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen. A third-minute goal from Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus' late strike sent Borussia Dortmund through to the last eight with a 2-0 win on Wednesday, sealing a 3-1 aggregate victory. Level at 1-1 after the last-16 first leg in the Netherlands, Sancho wasted no time in putting Dortmund ahead at the Westfalenstadion with a low shot from outside the area – his first Champions League goal since November 2021. Dortmund were shaky despite the early lead and needed a fair share of luck and some poor PSV finishing to progress, with Hirving Lozano's 53rd-minute effort hitting the post. PSV pushed forwards in stoppage time looking for an equaliser but instead gave away another goal, as Isaac Babadi's unfortunate slip allowed Reus to seal the win. The 1997 winners did enough against an outclassed PSV but will face stiffer challenges as they return to the quarter-final draw, to be held on Friday, for the first time since 2021. (AFP)