6:30 p.m. ET
Rob Dawson correspondent
MADRID – On a night when Atletico Madrid were trying their best to lose their heads to Manchester City, Pep Guardiola’s players showed they have both the steel and the silk to win the Champions League.
In the end, the home side lost their composure when Brazil defender Felipe was sent off after a confrontation in the corner involving most of the 22 players and the manager from both benches.
The fact that Atletico’s frustration finally boiled over was thanks to the way Man City managed an awkward draw amid the chaos to end the game 0-0 and keep the aggregate at 1-0 to come on later that month Reach semi-finals with Real Madrid. It wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t always have to be.
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The night ended after more than 13 minutes of stoppage time when Guardiola was pelted with bottles as he left the field and police pulled players apart in the tunnel from both sides after Stefan Savic raced after Jack Grealish. If City can get through this, they can get through anything.
“Nothing to say,” said Guardiola afterwards when asked about the scuffle on the pitch and in the tunnel. “It’s always difficult with these people in this stadium.” That’s a big compliment for the players. We gave everything. We have to live with such situations. We have suffered.
“We can’t expect to do everything wonderfully against the Spanish champions. Their opponents were really, really good.”
Backed by strong support within the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico laid out their plan to literally throw City out of rhythm from the very first minute. Last week at the Etihad they didn’t look like they wanted to confront City’s blue shirts well beyond the edge of their own box, but at home they suddenly found a whole other half to play in.
Savic quickly rushed off defense and thundered into the back of Ilkay Gundogan in the center circle, and Kyle Walker was forced into a slip after Diego Simeone roared his players forward from his technical zone.
If Simeone asked for more aggression before kick-off, Felipe took it too literally. Not content to hit Phil Foden with enough force to leave the 21-year-old bloodied and bandaged, Felipe knocked the legs off Kevin De Bruyne.
Foden found it difficult again when Savic unnecessarily charged into his side as the ball rolled out of play for a throw-in. Savic vs Foden was an ongoing fight that lasted all evening.
Mixed in were moments of calm where it would have been easy for City to fold. Riyad Mahrez was cool enough to round Joao Felix in his own box before the Portuguese striker swooped down on Ederson, only for the keeper to drill a precise pass through Atletico’s midfield and into Gundogan’s feet.
In the past, City have been responsible for causing chaos in knockout games in the Champions League, finishing runners-up in 2017 against Monaco, 2018 against Liverpool, 2019 against Tottenham and 2020 against Lyon. There were magic spells on Wednesday, particularly in the second half when it looked like the game was about to turn in that direction, but this is a City team looking much better after experiencing those harrowing exits.
Man City defended tenaciously when they had to – John Stones blocked Matheus Cunha after 87 minutes and Ederson saved from Angel Correa deep in injury time. In the end, it was the determined goal conceded rather than the usual champagne football that took them to their second consecutive semi-final and only their third in club history.
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“It’s the Spanish champions and they played with energy and were better than us in the second half and we were lucky not to concede,” added Guardiola. “We had chances in the first half.
“Overall we’re in the semi-finals – it’s deserved. The opponents are so tough, all the teams in the Champions League come here and suffer, so it’s important that we go through.”
“We can’t play all the time and score four or five goals. We’re human, we’re coming out of a difficult game against Liverpool. We’re celebrating because we’re in the Champions League semi-finals for the third time in Manchester City’s history.”
It keeps City on course for a treble of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, although clashing with Atletico came at a cost after injuries to De Bruyne and Walker. Both were substituted in the second half ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool at Wembley.
A few more are likely to suffer from a contusion but at a stage of the competition where City have previously fallen short they have proved up to the test this time. They put in some impressive performances in the Champions League under Guardiola and this was different – just for different reasons.