After granting the zero to go, the two clubs have imposed and find Liverpool, the Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Manchester City in 8th final.
Le Monde with AFP
The Atletico Madrid of Antoine Griezmann has established Tuesday on the lawn of Manchester United (1-0) in 8 e of the Champions League after a draw Go (1-1), qualifying for the quarterfinals, at the same time as Benfica Lisbon, who eliminated the Ajax Amsterdam with a 1-0 win after a draw to go (2-2) .
Faced with Red Devils having confirmed their difficulty capitalizing on their highlights, the atletico will have applied old recipes such as the arrival of Diego Simeone on the bench, eleven years ago, with a flawless defensive organization , a combativity of all the moments, but also a real daring in the projections forward.
The best proof is the goal, on a dose center of Antoine Griezmann, of Renan Lodi, left alone in the second post while five Spanish players were in the opposing surface, and whose stitched head found the Mancunian nets Just before halftime (1-0, 41 e ).
Lack of realism
However, it is not so much because of its defensive failures that Manchester United has lost this game back, nor the individual failures of a transparent Scott McTominay or a Cristiano Ronaldo never really dangerous, but of his Lack of realism, the Red Devils failing to concretize several beautiful actions.
From the e minute, on one of the few fluid sequences and in the good Tempo of Manu, Anthony Elanga was found three meters from the goal by Bruno Fernandes, but his recovery in Wearinghead was pushed back by Jan Oblak’s face, to whom the qualification owes a lot. The Slovenian goalkeeper has also been irreproachable on a floating shot of Fernandes, just before the break (45 e +2) and on a head of Raphael Varane he has released his skylight (77 e ).
The C1 qualification next season via the championship being very compromised, Manchester United has therefore said goodbye for two years, tonight. Also eliminated in England Cup, the Red Devils will finish the season without a trophy, with a huge shipyard at all floors to become competitive at the highest level.
Benfica creates the surprise
In the other meeting of the evening, a Benfica Lisbon surgical failure to have been spectacular qualified for the shifts by winning on the ground of Ajax, 1 to 0, at the Johan- Cruyff Arena of Amsterdam.
The Portuguese club, only third of his championship after 26 days, managed to reach the top-8 of the prestigious C1 thanks to a goal of the URugayen Darwin Nunez at the 77 e minute, Its fourth this season in Champions League.
Benfica, winner of the Champions League in 1961 and 1962 and five times finalist, the last in 1990, had no longer reached this stage of the competition since 2016.
This is a great success for the new Portuguese coach Nelson Verissimo, arrived at the end of December, even though this victory reflects only badly the course of a meeting during which Ajax, leader of his championship and undefeated this season this season In C1, had the possession of the balloon 69% of the time.
The Benfica Lisbon and Atletico Madrid thus fly for the quarterfinals, where they will find Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Manchester City, who qualified last week. The last two places will be played out this Wednesday evening between Lille and Chelsea (2-0 for the Blues to Go) and Juventus Turin and Villarreal (1-1).