Jan Oblak’s shootout heroics propel Atlético past Inter and into last eight
“Ad augusta per angusta,” the banner the stretched across the south stand of the Metropolitano said. Through difficulty to honour, it means, and that was right. It had been long, and it had been wild, and it had torn at all their nerves, but in the end, it had been glorious, an occasion for the ages. For the first time in 2024 Internazionale did not win a football match and it cost them: at 23.43pm local time, Lautaro Martínez of all people sent the final penalty of a shootout high into the stand and this place exploded once more.
Last year’s Champions League finalists are out; Atlético Madrid are through, Memphis Depay dragging them into extra time with a late goal and an almost superhuman display and then Jan Oblak flying to save two penalties in the shootout, elation just about eclipsing the exhaustion here. A 1-0 first-leg defeat had been overturned. So had a first goal conceded in the second. Atlético had done it.
