Atletico Madrid made the most of their first-leg advantage from the Spotify Camp Nou. Despite a 2-1 loss at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Diego Simeone’s side progressed with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Barcelona to punch its ticket to the 2026Champions League semifinals.
Barcelona started the match in sensational form, leveling the aggregate score within the first 20 minutes thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, signaling what looked to be a historic comeback for the visitors.
However, Ademola Lookman restored the aggregate lead for the hosts, pulling one back in the 30th minute. With the overall lead back in their possession, Atletico Madrid headed into the locker room at halftime with one foot in the semifinals.
In the second half, Barcelona threw everything they had at the Atletico defense in search of the goal that would keep their dreams alive, but their momentum stalled after Eric Garcia was sent off with ten minutes remaining. Down to ten men, the comeback became an impossible task for the Blaugrana. Atletico Madrid now move on to face the winner of the Arsenal vs Sporting Lisbon tie in the semifinals.
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End of the game!
Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1!
90'+6- Araujo almost scores! (1-2)
Araujo almost gave Barcelona the third one!
90'- Stoppage time (1-2)
The referee added eight more minutes to the game.
88'- Modifications in both teams (1-2)
Atletico Madrid: Koke was replaced by Jonnhy Cardoso.
Barcelona: Joao Cancelo and Dani Olmo were replaced by Ronald Araujo and Roony Bardghji.
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87'- Great save by Garcia! (1-2)
Nahuel Molina had a chance to put the series away, but Joan Garcia gathered the ball without any trouble.
81'- Modification in Barcelona (1-2)
Gavi was replaced by Frenkie de Jong.
79'- Red card for Barcelona (1-2)
After a VAR review, the referee awarded a free kick for Atletico Madrid and a red card for Eric Garcia.
75'- Modification in Atletico (1-2)
Antoine Griezmann was replaced by Alexander Sorloth.
73'- Great save by Garcia! (1-2)
Joan Garcia came up with a spectacular save to deny what looked like a certain goal for Robin Le Normand!
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72'- Yellow card in Barcelona (1-2)
Gavi received a yellow card.
67'- Modifications in Barcelona (1-2)
Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez were replaced by Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford.
65'- Modifications in Atletico Madrid (1-2)
Ademola Lookman and Giuliano Simeone were replaced by Alex Baena and Nicolas Gonzalez.
64'- Nice try from Dani Olmo (1-2)
After a brilliant play by Yamal, Olmo had a chance inside the box but his effort sailed over the crossbar.
61'- Atletico with a solid defense (1-2)
The visiting side looks incredibly solid defensively, soaking up every attack Barcelona throw at them.
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56'- Goal disallowed! (1-2)
The goal was disallowed due to an offside position.
54'- GOOOOAAAAL OF BARCELONA!! (1-3)
Ferran Torres strikes again!!
52'- Nice try from Lookman (1-2)
Ademola Lookman tried his luck with a strike from outside the box that whistled just wide of Garcia's post.
50'- Barcelona with an intense second half start (1-2)
The visitors have started the second half with high intensity, pushing forward in search of the goal that would keep their dreams of a semifinal berth alive.
The second half is underway!
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are already playing the second half!
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First half summary
Barcelona started the match exactly as planned. After falling 2-0 in the first leg, they needed to find an early goal to claw their way back into the tie, and they did just that in the 4th minute through Lamine Yamal.
As if that weren't enough, they managed to level the aggregate score just 20 minutes later via Ferran Torres, piling the pressure on the hosts at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. However, just when things were looking grim for Atletico Madrid, Ademola Lookman found the back of the net to make it 3-2 on aggregate and breathe new life into his side.
The second half promises to be just as intense as the first, with Barcelona showing no signs of slowing down their attack as they search for the goal that would keep their qualification dreams alive.
Halftime! (1-2)
The game goes to halftime!
45'- Stoppage time (1-2)
The referee added four more minutes.
40'- Nice try from Torres (1-2)
Following a brilliant pass from Yamal, Torres unleashed a strike from inside the box, but Musso closed down the space perfectly to make a quick block.
35'- Barcelona looking for the third one (1-2)
Barcelona need just one goal to level the aggregate score, and they are relentlessly pushing forward in attack to find the goal that would provide them some momentary relief.
After weathering heavy pressure during the opening minutes, Atletico are beginning to see more of the ball and are starting to push deeper into Barcelona's half.
9'- Barcelona with a strong start (0-1)
After dropping the first leg 2-0, Barcelona have come out firing with high pressure on their rivals. An intense, physical battle is expected for the home side as it looks to weather the early storm.
Ahead of the Champions League clash, Yamal sent a playful challenge toward Diego Simeone. “I feel great! Let’s see if Simeone does me a favor and gives me some one-on-one looks tomorrow,” Yamal joked during the pre-match press conference ahead of the decisive continental clash.
Why is Raphina not playing?
Raphinha is not playing for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid due to a hamstring injury he suffered while playing for Brazil during the international March window against France. There is cautious optimism inside the club that he could return in May, potentially in time for a key domestic clash against Real Madrid.
Both teams doing warm up activities
Players for both sides have taken the field for warmups at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano!
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Atletico Madrid lineup confirmed!
Atletico Madrid's starting XI: Juan Musso; Nahuel Molina, Clement Lenglet, Robin Le Normand, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Ademola Lookman; Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
Clement Turpin has been appointed to officiate the clash between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. He will be joined on the field by Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages, who are set to serve as the assistant referees.
Full officiating team:
Referee: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pages (FRA)
Fourth official: Mathieu Vernice (FRA)
VAR: Jerome Brisard (FRA)
Kickoff time and where to watch
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona will get underway at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano at 3:00 PM (ET).
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona clash in the 2026 UEFA Champions League!
Welcome to our live blog of the UEFA Champions League. Atletico Madrid host Barcelona at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in their second leg of the quarterfinals, after defeating Hansi Flick's men 2-0 at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Stay with us for all the action and minute-by-minute updates of this exciting game!
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist, fluent in English and Spanish, with a specialization in soccer, NBA, and tennis. He began his professional career in 2020 with Mundo Deportivo US, where he first established himself as a writer. Throughout his career, Gianni has covered major sports events such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tournaments like the French Open. His ability to report on real-time events and perform well under pressure has made him a valuable member of a top-tier team of journalists. In 2024, he joined Bolavip US, bringing his expertise in soccer, NBA, and tennis to deliver original content while providing live coverage of important events.
