MADRID: Holders Barcelona were undone by a brilliantly organised Atletico Madrid, while Bayern Munich outlasted Benfica in their respective Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Barcelona crashed out after being stifled by Atletico and two goals from Antoine Griezmann in a 2-0 second leg defeat at the Vicente Calderon in the Spanish capital.
Griezmann headed home from Saul Niguez’s exquisite cross to give the home side a deserved lead in the 36th minute.
The France forward then scored again from the penalty spot with two minutes remaining, following a handball from Andres Iniesta, to complete a 3-2 aggregate victory that eliminated Barca at the quarter-final stage for the second time in three seasons.
The result was a shining example of Atletico coach Diego Simeone’s tactical astuteness as his side restricted Barcelona to just a few chances.
While the visitors grew into the game in the second half, they struggled to create clear openings. Their best opportunity fell to Luis Suarez, the scorer of both goals in their 2-1 win in the first leg, but the Uruguayan could only shoot straight at goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Barcelona, who were bidding to become the first team to retain the Champions League, seem to have run out of steam at the end of the season, having won just one of their last five matches.
Atletico took the lead in the tie on away goals when Saul carved out a cross with the outside of his boot towards Griezmann, who headed into the top corner.
After Griezmann doubled the lead from the spot, Barcelona still had two minutes plus stoppage time to find a goal that would have forced extra time, and Lionel Messi nearly conjured a late leveller, but sent a free kick over the bar.
Meanwhile in Lisbon, Bayern Munich booked their fifth successive Champions League semi-final spot with a 2-2 draw at Benfica to seal a 3-2 aggregate victory that kept the Germans on course for a treble of titles.
Arturo Vidal’s 38th-minute goal cancelled out the hosts’ early lead through Raul Jimenez’s header, and Thomas Mueller’s volley early in the second half eased their nerves.
The Portuguese side, vying for their first semi-final in more than a quarter of a century, managed a late equaliser through Talisca, but still suffered their fourth elimination in their fourth European tie against Bayern.
The Bavarians will face Real Madrid, city rivals Atletico or England’s Manchester City in the last four.
“It was a sensational atmosphere but it was hard work,” said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm, who played his 103rd Champions League game to become joint leader in Germany along with former Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn.
“We had to be more precise than in the first game, close the spaces between midfield and defence and we did it better tonight. We remained calm after the goal and worked hard,” said Lahm.
Benfica were without top strikers Jonas, Gaitan and Kostas Mitroglou through suspension or injury and were quickly on the back foot as expected, with the Germans controlling 70 percent of possession.
Mueller had the Germans’ first good chance but fired wide after 15 minutes with Benfica’s double backline working extremely hard.
“That double line was sometimes even three lines. They were a very difficult opponent,” said Bayern manager Pep Guardiola.
The hosts struck following a quick break when Eliseu found space to cross from the left and Jimenez charged past two defenders to score with a flying header.
The Mexican went close to adding another, but Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer did well to parry his shot.
The Bavarians looked briefly rattled by the setback but quickly recovered when Vidal, who scored the winner in the first leg, drilled in the equaliser after perfectly timing his shot from keeper Ederson’s clearance.
Guardiola had surprisingly kept top scorer Robert Lewandowski on the bench and Mueller took over his role, slipping in like a natural centre forward and volleying in a Martinez assist.
But Talisca gave Benfica coach Rui Vitoria something to smile about, curling a free kick past Neuer to cap a battling performance against the German giants.
“We fought until the end, so I have to congratulate my players and these amazing supporters,” said Vitoria. – Reuters