Real Madrid squeezed past Atletico Madrid via a tense penalty shoot-out on away turf at the Metropolitano - edging their local rivals out in a 4-2 shootout win, after the two sides couldn't be split over two legs and extra time.
After beating their local rivals 2-1 on home turf last week to set up a tantalising second leg, with eyes across Europe fixated on the result, Carlo Ancelotti's side won't have wanted to start slowly at an intimidating Metropolitano relic. The Atleti faithful won't have forgotten the heartbreak that their capital counterparts have handed them in this very competition down the years, and that certainly played a part in a decibel-laden opening sequence, equipped with tifos and a red wall of noise.
Fuelled by the knowledge that they were only one goal down and with home advantage to boot, Diego Simeone's men flew out of the blocks - and after just 27 seconds, they levelled the tie on aggregate. Strong running saw the ball break kindly in the centre of the park, and having worked its way out to Rodrigo de Paul, his cross evaded everyone before working its way to Conor Gallagher, who hooked the ball beyond a helpless Thibaut Courtois. Rapturous, invigorated and hungry for more, it was the perfect start for the adorning fans sat inside the arena which hosted the 2019 final.
The rest of the first half continued in much the same manner; Vinicius Jr, to his credit, tried to take the game to the home side, but he wasn't being helped by his lacklustre teammates, and it was Julian Alvarez that was keeping Courtois busy with two searing strikes that stung the palms of the Belgian. Whilst the Colchoneros were happy to concede possession, they looked like they wanted the win more, but the scores remained level heading into the interval.
Ferland Mendy was having a mare against the energetic Giuliano Simeone - son of the Atleti boss - and at the hour mark, you'd have backed Atletico to turn the game on its head - but you can't write Los Blancos off. A rare counter-attack saw Kylian Mbappe weave in between Jose Gimenez and Clement Lenglet, with the latter bringing him down in the area - and Vinicius took the ball off the Frenchman from 12 yards, with 20 minutes to go. But the Brazilian found Row Z, jeers from the home support were in abundance and, if anything, it riled them up further with Simeone being thwarted by Courtois, who was having a strong game.
Angel Correa's introduction sparked life into the game as he blazed over just minutes after coming on, but they couldn't be separated after 180 minutes of gruelling football - and the game went into extra time.
Extra Time And Penalties
Correa dazzled again before his cross into the box was thwarted by Antonio Rudiger with a last-ditch interception - and from there, the game became more frantic with both clubs pushing for the winner. Federico Valverde's ball only fizzed across the box as Mbappe and Vinicius waited for a cut-back, and it was evident that the sides were tiring.
With both teams looking to run the clock down, there was only one half-chance that Mbappe had as he tried to chop inside Gimenez - but the long-serving star stood strong and to penalties we went. Both sides scored their first penalties, thanks to Mbappe and Alexander Sorloth, and that manner continued until Alvarez slipped, double-touching his penalty to register an 'illegal kick' despite scoring.
Jan Oblak thwarted Lucas Vazquez on Real's fourth penalty, though Marcos Llorente missed his by slamming against the crossbar to hand Rudiger the chance to win the tie - and somehow, he squeezed it beyond Oblak to send Real through in the narrowest, most frantic of margins.
Atletico Madrid Statistics Real Madrid
8 Shots on target 3
7 Shots off target 4
38 Possession (%) 62
10 Corners 10
11 Fouls 16
4 Cards 3
Match Highlights And Goals
Full match highlights to follow...
Atletico Madrid Player Ratings
Diego Simeone
Jan Oblak - 6/10
Didn't have much to do apart from claim crosses that were at his height - towering above Real's relatively small squad. They didn't work the Slovenian, and on the latter stage Champions League evenings, he's usually tested - but that wasn't the case on home soil, especially when Vinicius blazed his penalty over.
Marcos Llorente - 7/10
Did well to thwart Vinicius early on, despite his trickery and direct robustness. The versatile star has been a big player for Atleti in recent years and that was no different tonight against his former employers.
Jose Gimenez - 7/10
The brawn, the last man, the leader of the defensive pack - he stood up to the task and some. He's been at the club for over a decade now and has certainly taken on a bigger responsibility in recent seasons - that much was evident on the evening.
Clement Lenglet - 6/10
Should perhaps have scored late in the first half with a header from an Antoine Griezmann corner, but in general, he was extremely solid defensively. However, you have to be careful against a threat as lethal as Mbappe, who he fouled for the penalty. He's had his critics over the years, but Simeone will be happy with his performance.
Reinildo - 6/10
Scored less than the rest of his defensive partners, but that is simply because he had such little work to do. The majority of Real's play was either through Vinicius, Luka Modric or crosses from Federico Valverde - and so the Mozambique international found it relatively easy defensively. Could have contributed more offensively.
Giuliano Simeone - 8/10
It was his presence that allowed Gallagher to pick up the space behind for the opener, putting the ball on a silver platter for the Englishman. He will have been taught to always give his all, given his upbringing under his father and now manager - and he did so all night. A spirited display from the Argentine, forcing Ferland Mendy into defensive error after defensive error - and his pace certainly caused problems.
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Rodrigo De Paul - 6/10
Superb ball across the box that was turned home by Gallagher. The former Udinese man has that technical quality and the tenaciousness to succeed in Atletico's midfield, and his cross reaped the rewards inside one minute. Could perhaps have done more throughout to influence the game.
Pablo Barrios - 7/10
A lesser-known member of the famous Simeone era - but it was a great performance from the homegrown talent. Tackling, pressing and standing strong against such a star-studded midfield, he was described as 'cathedral-like' by one supporter - and it was easy to see why.
Conor Gallagher - 8/10
What a start for the Englishman. His first-ever Champions League goal, and what a time and a place to get it - striking inside 30 seconds by pouncing quickest in the box to level the tie and send the Metropolitano into ecstasy. He couldn't quite find his feet at Chelsea, but with Simeone as his coach, it's a match made in heaven; his pressing was superb too.
Antoine Griezmann - 7/10
Was firmly in the game from the off and his experience will have been vital to Diego Simeone. Tricky, pressing, and just that knowledge of when to stay and go on the counter-attack was perfect from a decision-making point of view.
Julian Alvarez - 7/10
Lively, and unfortunate not to have got on the scoresheet with two stinging efforts that Courtois thwarted. He's become a real main man in the capital after his move from Manchester City and he had their local rivals scrambling.
SUB - Samuel Lino - 5/10
Came on for Gallagher moments before the end for fresh legs in extra time.
SUB - Angel Correa - 6/10
Almost scored a wonderful winner in the dying embers before recording an assist in the opening spell of extra time. A superb addition to the game.
SUB - Alexander Sorloth - 4/10
The former Crystal Palace flop has been a hit in La Liga, but he couldn't quite get going in the final 30.
SUB - Nahuel Molina - 4/10
Came on for Rodrigo De Paul in stoppage time.
SUB - Robin Le Normand - 4/10
Introduced at centre-back for the carded Lenglet at the start of the extra period.
SUB - Cesar Azpilicueta - 4/10
The Premier League icon came on for Reinildo to shore up the defence with 20 to go in extra time.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti
Thibaut Courtois - 7/10
Nothing he could really do about the opener, and made a strong save from Alvarez just before the half-hour mark to keep his side in the lead on aggregate before doing the same again on the half-time whistle. His shot-stopping is second to none, and he did keep his side in the game before the interval.
Federico Valverde - 6/10
He let Gallagher go for the opener, which was not the start he'd have had in mind; but the Uruguayan did well after that - especially out of his natural position. The majority of Atletico's attacks came down the opposite flank, and he did swing a few decent drilled crosses and passes into the box, albeit to no avail.
Raul Asencio - 6/10
Another who got caught up in the opener, but Asencio has done well since coming through the youth ranks due to the injury crisis - and tonight was no different. He stood up well and made some vital tackles to limit Atleti in an attacking sense.
Antonio Rudiger - 5/10
A typically menacing defender, Rudiger wasn't brilliant away at Atletico. He's another who had the cameras panning towards him after the opener, and the German was found scampering to track Alvarez more times than he would have liked. Superb clearance early in the first half of extra time, however - and he did score the winning penalty.
Ferland Mendy - 4/10
Targeted from the off and the goal came from down his side. Vinicius' attacking prowess means he's largely a defensive pawn, but he was tested massively on a tough night across the capital, looking out of position and slipping on an evening to forget as he went off with an apparent injury issue.
Aurelien Tchouameni - 5/10
Cautioned for a foul on Griezmann just before the interval, and it was his absence in the centre of the park that somewhat led to the goal. Other silly mistakes - such as blocking a Bellingham header in the attacking area - meant it wasn't the Frenchman's day. Booked.
Luka Modric - 6/10
He's coming to the end of his career, but the Croatian still displayed moments of brilliance that showed just why he's been the best central midfielder in the world over the past decade. Perhaps Atletico's immediate strike caught him by surprise in a physicality sense, but he was one of their brighter players when the going got tough.
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Rodrygo - 5/10
Anonymous on the right wing. According to Sofascore, he had just one dribble, no crosses or shots and generally seemed pushed too far out to the right to have any sort of impact.
Jude Bellingham - 5/10
You can never write Bellingham off. He's capable of so many clutch moments, as we've seen for England, Real, Dortmund and Birmingham City down the years; and even for such a tepid opening half hour, you do struggle to criticise him too much until the final whistle. However, he was extremely poor tonight and looked so ineffective throughout.
Vinicius Jr - 6/10
Real's liveliest player by far. He was looking to give the home side some trouble as soon as they'd gone ahead, aiming to turn the tide and quell the Metropolitano celebrations. He did keep Marcos Llorente scrambling early doors, though it didn't quite pay off. But that penalty...inexcusable. A proper Row Z effort takes him down a grade.
Kylian Mbappe - 6/10
Spent the majority of the first half looking for fouls and claiming for handballs - without doing much to actually impact the game with the ball at his feet. The Frenchman has been on fire recently and will be one of Real's best chances of winning the trophy, but Atletico scoring early didn't play to his strengths. He did win a penalty with a mazy run, though Vinicius couldn't convert.
SUB - Lucas Vazquez - 4/10
Introduced for Modric with under half an hour to go, but wasn't at his creative best.
SUB - Eduardo Camavinga - 4/10
Replaced Tchouameni who was carrying a booking and stamped his authority on the game.
SUB - Brahim Diaz - 5/10
The Morocco international was introduced for Rodrygo to try and get some joy down the right - though his efforts were straight at Oblak. He was at least positive for a subdued Madrid side.
SUB - Fran Garcia - 5/10
The youngster did better than Mendy on the left and gave a good account of himself in such a tense clash.
SUB - Endrick - 3/10
Came on with five to go, replacing Vinicius in attack.
Man of the Match
Giuliano Simeone
Giuliano Simeone playing for Atletico Madrid
When his father needed him most, Simeone stood up to the task with a tireless display that saw him pull apart the Real tactical shape with ease. His relentless pressing, rapid pace and teamwork almost negated his actual work on the ball - which set Atleti away at various opportunities.
He's perhaps not the most gifted footballer, but he makes up for that with effort and elbow grease - the hallmark of any Simeone ethos, whether it be himself or his father before him. He played a huge role in keeping Real at bay, and edged Gallagher out for the best player gong, having battled right til the very end.