Atlético survive 33 shots against Bayern to reach the final
Atlético weathered a relentless Bayern storm in the first half and were able to clinch their final berth thanks to Jan Oblak's saves and Antoine Griezmann's calmly taken goal.
That Atlético's path to Milan would be paved with suffering was never in doubt, but no one expected them to endure as much suffering as they did in Munich. Xabi Alonso beat Jan Oblak with a free kick in the 29th minute following an opening half hour in which the rojiblancos failed to get a foothold of the ball, as Bayern recorded 92% possession between the 15th and 25th minutes.
Pegged deep into their own half during the opening thirty minutes, Simeone's starting line-up never looked like hitting their hosts on the break or building up play from the back. Things looked especially bleak in the 34th minute when Bayern were awarded a penalty. However, Oblak was equal to Thomas Müller's spot kick and from there on in Atleti found their way back into the game. Cholo realised that his side's two shots on goal before half-time wasn't going to cut the mustard after the break.
The Argentine coach made the right decision when he replaced Augusto for Carrasco. With the Belgian on the pitch, Atlético were a different proposition and began to see more of the ball: upping their possession stats from 23% to 30%. Bayern continued to bombard the Spaniards' goal, but Griezmann made the most of a dream pass from Torres to hit the Germans on the break and swing the tie back in the Mattress Makers' favour. Pep Guardiola's men had 33 shots on goal (11 on target) but the Madrid wall proved to difficult too penetrate.