Atletico Madrid wins over highly favored Barcelona with a final score of 1-0. In a report by The Guardian, Diego Costa, the team's top scorer was not able to play due to an injury. Arda Turan was also absent, so the game had to begin with Adrian and David Villa. The last time Madrid won over Barcelona was in 2010.
The lone score occurred after Raul Garcia initially shot over the goal. Adrian attempted a shot which hit the crossbar. The ball went to Villa, who hit a cross for Adrian, who in turn, spotted Koke Resureccion wide open. Koke was close to the opposite post and made the shot, with just five minutes left on the clock. The crowd went wild for several minutes after the goal.
Barcelona, however, did not seem as if they wanted to retaliate. The defense seemed very relaxed during the first twenty minutes of the game. Atletico Madrid could feel such fear and lack of determination that they decided to attack relentlessly. Villa again shot over and hit the post a couple more times.
The second half began with Lionel Messi and Xavi. Messi, however, was hounded by defenders throughout. Pinto, Barcelona's goalkeeper, tried to give it his all, making a save near the post against Diego and another save against Gabi. Pinto also prevented Cristian Rodriguez from scoring at the final moment, according to a report by The Australian. Messi failed to score against Barcelona for the sixth straight time.
With their victory, Atletico is officially in the semi-final round of the European Cup. It is their first time to garner a spot in four decades. Barcelona Coach Diego Simeone commented, "We can envy the economic power of other teams, but when it comes to competitiveness we don't envy anyone." He added, "Sometimes it's not the better team that wins but the team that's more convinced."
Madrid's reappearance in the semi-finals was least expected, especially after they were forced to let go of Radamel Falcao.
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