After a tense last-16 match that ended 2-2 on aggregate on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid needed a penalty shootout to defeat Inter Milan and advance to the Champions League quarterfinals. Inter, who won the first leg 1-0 at home, took the lead at the Metropolitano, and Atletico appeared to be on their way out. But they fought back and found a way to send it to penalties.

Jan Oblak saved from Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen, and Inter’s Yann Sommer stopped Saul Niguez’s shot, allowing Lautaro Martinez to keep their chances alive. The Argentine striker blazed his penalty over the crossbar to send Atletico through 3-2 in the shootout after the Spanish side finished the match 2-1 in extra time.

Inter took the lead in the 33rd minute through Federico Dimarco, but Atletico equalized two minutes later through Antoine Griezmann, and Memphis Depay’s late goal sent the match to extra time. Both teams had chances to win in extra time, but Diego Simeone’s side held on, and last season’s beaten finalists were eliminated. Atletico did not have a single attempt on goal in the first leg at the San Siro, but they started quickly in Madrid, backed by a raucous home crowd. However, Inter scored first. Nicolo Barella received the ball and passed it back to Dimarco, who drove his shot straight down the middle past Oblak.

Atletico, now 2-0 down on aggregate, responded instantly. Koke sent a pass into the area that two Inter defenders completely missed, and it fell to Griezmann, who made no mistake from close range. Griezmann nearly scored again shortly before the interval, but his shot was diverted away by Benjamin Pavard, with Sommer committing the opposite way, and the teams went into the break with the score level at 1-1.

Martinez created two excellent chances for Inter to win the contest, but Marcus Thuram and Nicolo Barella failed to capitalize. They were forced to pay because Koke was again the provider for Atletico. His pass into the area found Depay, who swiveled and blasted his shot into the bottom corner. Atletico could have won it before extra time when Griezmann’s assist set up Rodrigo Riquelme for a first-time shot that went over the bar, leaving Simeone stunned on the sidelines. However, Atletico made the most of the penalty shootout, and the stadium roared as their team won the match.

Meanwhile, FC Barcelona advanced to its first Champions League quarterfinals since 2020 after registering a thrilling 3-1 win over Napoli at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night.