Defending champions Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate after falling to Atletico Madrid 2-0 in their second-leg quarterfinal tie at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday.
Atletico, who knocked out the Catalans at the same stage of the competition two years ago, reduced Luis Enrique’s side to passes in their own half for much of the opening period.
And for their dogged defensive effort, Diego Simeone’s men earned a deserved opener on 36 minutes through top-scorer Antoine Griezmann and a fine assist from Saul.
Griezmann, unmarked in the Barcelona box, rose and guided in Saul’s inch-perfect outside-of-the-foot cross past a stretching Marc-Andre ter Stegen and into the near-post top corner.
It was the influential Frenchman’s 28th goal of the season and his fifth in Champions League play this campaign.
Atleti nearly doubled their advantage shortly after the break, again via header. But Saul’s looping effort was denied only by the crossbar as well-beaten Ter Stegen only watched.
Barca then managed their first sustained pressure of the game, but Jordi Alba’s dangerous cross from the right was well-cleared by a scrambling Atletico defence.
Griezmann was played in behind the back line minutes later, only to hit his tight-angle shot straight at Ter Stegen under pressure.
Luis Suarez had a chance fall his way in the 67th minute — his snapshot from 15 yards easily saved by Jan Oblak.
Suarez was presented another reaction shot on 84 minutes, but Oblak was again up to the task, getting down to collect the Uruguayan’s ball.
Despite the Barca pressure, Atleti took their second — and the tie — two minutes from time. Filipe Luis’ brilliant run down the left led to an Andres Iniesta handball in the box.
And it was Griezmann who stepped up and slotted just past Ter Stegen from the spot.
Two minutes later, however, Barcelona had a penalty shout of their own when Gabi appeared to handle the ball in his own box. The free kick was awarded just outside of the area, and Lionel Messi’s shot went inches away from the far top corner.
Barcelona's dip continues
Having won just one point from the last nine possible in La Liga, both sides of Madrid have been reveling in a Barca wobble.
While it's worth noting that two of those games came against La Liga's top four, it is also inescapable that performances have dipped slightly.
Luis Enrique's supercharged front three that has spent most of the season blowing teams away has somewhat spluttered of late. Luis Suarez scored a decisive brace in the first leg, but perhaps the long campaign and Luis Enrique's reluctance to rest his stars has caught up with them.
Messi is now over 400 minutes without a goal, his longest run in years, while Neymar has lost some of the spark that made him the best player in La Liga over the first half of the season.
Diego Simeone goes back to Plan A
Having ditched his favoured 4-4-2 for more of a 4-3-3 at the Nou Camp last week , Diego Simeone returned to the shape that had served his side so well in the league meeting between these two sides in late January.
Barcelona won that game but Atletico had taken the lead and caused them problems early-on with high-energy pressing from forward pairing Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco.
Having flanked Fernando Torres last week they were reunited today and occupied themselves with harrying Barca's central defenders in possession.
Interestingly, the full-backs were allowed time on the ball but the emphasis was on ensuring no passing lanes were available to feed the visitors' midfield.
Reuters
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