MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 13: Lionel Messi (R) of FC Barcelona competes for the ball with Augusto Fernandez (R) of Atletico de Madrid during the UEFA Champions League quarter final, second leg match between Club Atletico de Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Vincente Calderon on April 13, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Barcelona was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday after suffering a quarterfinal second-leg defeat at the hands of a very well-organized Atletico Madrid, who won 2-0 thanks to two goals from French forward Antoine Griezmann.
Griezmann scored his first goal on a header off a cross from Saul Niguez to give Atletico the lead in the 36th minute, stunning 23-year-old German Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The Frenchman scored again from the penalty spot with just two minutes remaining after a handball from Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, thus giving Atletico a 3-2 aggregate victory in their series against Barcelona to knock them out of the quarterfinal stage for the second time in three seasons.
Barcelona were hoping to become the first team to stay in the Champions League, but appear to have run out of steam at the end of this season, with only one victory in their last five games.
Their 39-game winning streak ended at the start of the month, and they came into Wednesday’s match on the heels of a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad.
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“I congratulate Atletico Madrid, they were better than us,” Barca coach Luis Enrique told reporters.
“We had control without creating much danger. The team wanted to retain the title, the fans did too, but today it was not to be. We are sad, of course.”
Atletico’s coach, Diego Simeone, on the other hand, was unsurprisingly very pleased with his team’s performance.
“We never stopped believing, we never give up what we want to do,” Simeone said.
Lionel Messi sent a free kick over the bar in the last two minutes.
“We were playing against one of the best teams in the world and we did ourselves proud, now we’re in the semi finals, among the top four teams in Europe,” Griezmann said.
“Our fans support us in every home game and push us to produce performances like tonight’s. This game belongs to them too.”
PHOTO: MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 13: Lionel Messi (R) of FC Barcelona competes for the ball with Augusto Fernandez (R) of Atletico de Madrid during the UEFA Champions League quarter final, second leg match between Club Atletico de Madrid and FC Barcelona at the Vincente Calderon on April 13, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
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