Atletico Madrid are at their best when they’re written off.
Diego Simeone’s troops engineered a 4-2 aggregate victory over Liverpool on Wednesday to book their spot in the Champions League quarterfinals. They unexpectedly won 3-2 in the second leg at Anfield.
The home side should’ve wrapped up the tie in normal time but couldn’t pocket the host of close-cut chances that followed Georginio Wijnaldum‘s first-half header. Roberto Firmino seemed to send Liverpool on their way to the competition’s last eight when he scored early in extra time, but Atleti roared back with a Marcos Llorente double and an Alvaro Morata finish in the 121st minute.
Here are three takeaways from an absorbing contest in northwest England.
Dwindling Diego
You’ll miss him when he’s gone.
Few footballers have played the villain role as successfully as Diego Costa, and his devious dance on the disciplinary tightrope was captivating at Anfield. In the opening 30 minutes alone, he escaped a booking when he threw the ball away before a Liverpool free-kick and offered an apology of startling insincerity after bumping over Wijnaldum.
He touched the ball …read more