Manchester City are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League, having held Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Having come into the game with a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at the Etihad, Atleti knew they couldn’t simply sit deep and look to hurt their opponents on the counter as they did against Manchester United at Old Trafford last month.
They came flying out of the blocks, pressing hard and threatening to score when Joao Felix got in behind on the right and was inches away from finding Thomas Lemar as he charged into the area.
With a hostile home crowd whistling City’s every touch, Atleti produced a series of fiesty challenges which culminated with Felipe leaving Phil Foden crumpled on the turf after a brutal aerial duel.
He was lucky to avoid a booking – his stray elbow left Foden bleeding from the head and bandaged up for the rest of the game – with City’s anger only compounded when he was cautioned not long afterwards for smashing into the back of Kevin De Bruyne.
City set up a repeat of the 2020 Champions League Round of 16 as they face the Santiago Bernabeu outfit. The Premier League giants advanced in the pandemic affected tie with a 4-2 aggregate win.
