by “Ad augusta per angusta,” said the banner stretched across the south stand of the Metropolitano. By difficulty to honor, he means, and that was right. It was long, and it was wild, and it had torn all his nerves, but in the end, it was glorious, an event for years. For the first time in 2024 Internazionale did not win a football match and he defended them: at 23.43pm local time, Lautaro Martínez of all people sent the last penalty of a high shootout into the stand and this place exploded again.
Last year’s Champions League finals are out; Atlético Madrid are through, Memphis Depay drags them into extra time with a late goal and an almost too human display and then Jan Oblak flies to save two penalties in the shootout, the joy is just about to be banished here. . A 1-0 win in the first leg was overturned. So the first goal conceded in the second. Atlético had done it.
Related: Atlético Madrid v Inter: Champions League last 16, second leg – live
From the start, the onus was on Atlético to attack – which, forget the cliches, they do well. This is another Diego Simeone side, at least at home where they have been beaten once in 14 months: the other side have their problems, and especially on the road. Their fear coming in wasn’t so much that they wouldn’t be able to score – although they knew that Inter had the best defensive record in Europe and had seen that for themselves at the San Siro – but that mistakes in their own area might cost them.
Atlético started on the front foot, even the ball boys racing to advance the game, as if these were the last minutes not the first. Marcos Llorente jumped and missed a cross in the first minute and Stefan Savic was soon in charge of the goalkeeper. Yann Sommer’s save was simple but Atlético had an attempt on goal within three minutes after they failed at all in the first 90 minutes. Two minutes later they might have had the upper hand. Rushing up the left, Samuel Lino bounced Nicolò Barella, got past Stefan de Vrij and hit a hard low shot towards the far post. This time, Sommer’s save was real.
For all that Atlético pushed, however, it was true that most of their approaches ended in mostly hopeless crosses. That’s not to say that it didn’t come of any use – Álvaro Morata drew another save from Sommer when he picked off Mario Hermoso’s through ball – but chances were fewer than they liked. And the feeling grew that Inter, capable of becoming fast and sharp, Martinez, a pivot they could play, was not this pattern.
An early example came when Morata lost the ball, Marcus Thuram kept the move alive and, for the first time, Hakan Calhanoglu released Denzel Dumfries, forcing Oblak into a double save. Oblak then had to save Martínez’s shot and soon after Axel Witsel reacted quickly to prevent Inter from opening them up again, Dimarco’s final ball looking for Thuram. Then Inter sliced the hosts decisively, Dimarco finishing a slick move built by Martínez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alessandro Bastoni and finally Barella. The plan seemed to work to perfection, and Inter now seem to be in control.
Loud at the end, the Italians flashed their phones. They were still scared when Atlético equalised, a slightly comical goal that changed the mood here. A poor clearance reached Koke, who brought the ball back to the box, where Benjamin Pavard made a terrible mess of it, slipping, missing and falling, leaving Griezmann alone to score. Now it was the Atlético fans who stood by their phones, enjoying the return of the ritual.
Back, then, to where it started. But it wasn’t all the same: the Metropolitano really believed now and the momentum built, soon Pavard had to block Griezmann. For the first time, Inter looked a little rattled.
The French had another chance early in the second half. Llorente provided it, unmarked near the penalty spot and with time running out, he drew a great save from Sommer but he shouldn’t have allowed the keeper to make any saves at all. Llorente then escaped again to pull the ball back; this time Morata turned a shot over the crossbar when he could have let it go to Griezmann behind him. Inter tried to reduce the tension through possession when possible, and as much as they still had the lead, they knew they were in a game.
Inter should have ended it, Martínez sliding in Thuram only to see him take the shot. Martínez did it again with 10 minutes to go, waiting for the right moment to put Barella through alone. With heavy feet, however, he shot straight to Oblak, setting up wild, frantic minutes, in which Atlético threw everything at their opponents.
Memphis in particular: forward as a substitute, what an impact he had. It was the third attempt that changed everything. Turning a few yards from goal, he couldn’t quite clear the finish when Ángel Correa created the first. Then on 85 minutes, he thudded a shot off the inside of the post. And finally with three minutes to go he got inside the area, turned and hit a great finish into the net, this place is exploding. Simeone was injured as he walked up the pitch to join his celebrating players. If that hurts, then worse, the Atlético coach will be falling to the turf after Griezmann set up Rodrigo Riquelme perfectly to win it with 20 seconds remaining. This was, at the moment, just the shot flew over.
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Simeone had a floor but, like footballers, he got up again. It would be another 30 minutes of this, and he wasn’t slowing down, even as the muscles and lungs were screaming. Extra time started with Yann Bisseck’s brilliant cross giving Thuram the chance but it went over. Then Riquelme delivered to Memphis, which Sommer somehow saved his shot. Then, back at the other end, Martínez led by a wide fraction.
The nerves were broken, the solutions hacked, and noise shook the place. The players were in pieces but still they ran; this was wild and open, desperation at both ends, a game – and whatever game it was – that went back and forth, everyone on a knife’s edge. Until in the end he went to the spot, the cruellest place in football.
