Renan Lodi struck in the first half and Atlético’s defence held firm in the second as Diego Simeone’s men won at Old Trafford to progress 2-1 on aggregate in this round of 16 tie.
The two goalkeepers took centre stage in a first half high on endeavour but low on chances, Anthony Elanga being denied by the head of Jan Oblak from a low Bruno Fernandes cross before Rodrigo De Paul’s deflected shot was pushed away by David de Gea.
João Félix did have the ball in the net for the visitors but Marcos Llorente had strayed offside before teeing up the Portuguese striker. It proved a temporary reprieve for the Red Devils, though, as João Félix’s back-heel released Antoine Griezmann, who stood up an inviting cross to the far post for Renan Lodi to head in.
Ralf Rangnick’s men increased the pressure after the break and nearly levelled when Jadon Sancho’s ferocious volley fizzed just over. Raphaël Varane thought he had forced extra time with a thumping header from Alex Telles’ free-kick but Oblak continued his stunning resistance as Atlético dug in to see out the remaining time.
Reaction
Koke, Atlético midfielder: “It’s important for us to still be in the Champions League in what’s been an up and down season. We deserved the win in the first leg but fought so hard here to get what we deserved from this tie. For me, Oblak is the best goalkeeper in the world. He’s shown it once again tonight.”
Rodrigo de Paul, Atlético midfielder: “We played a great game. We suffered when we had to and hit when we had the chance, here at a great stadium against a great team. It was an even game. We knew we’d suffer, but we also knew we’d get our chances on the counter and we took one of them.”
Héctor Herrera, Atlético midfielder: “We’re really happy. We knew it would be tough and they’d control the ball more than they did in the first leg. We knew how we could hurt them, and that’s what we did to create a few goalscoring chances. We knew how to suffer, to be regimented, and that’s what has seen us go through.”
David de Gea, Manchester United goalkeeper: “We are really disappointed with the result. We did not do enough in both games to win it. They are a team with a lot of experience. They know how to play those Champions League games. They scored a goal then are a tough team so it was hard for us to create chances.”
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