Atletico Madrid reached the Champions League final after a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Bayern Munich saw them go through on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw.In a thrilling affair which saw two missed penalties, Xabi Alonso handed Bayern the lead on the night after 31 minutes with a deflected free-kick from just outside the area.Jan Oblak denied Thomas Muller from the penalty spot just moments later, and Atletico were back level on the night and 2-1 up on aggregate just after the break through Antoine Griezmann's neat finish having been one-on-one with Manuel Neuer.
Pep Guardiola said he had given his life to Bayern Munich over the past three years and refused to accept the inability to deliver the Champions League meant he had failed in his mission at the German club.
For the third season in succession, Guardiola lost at the semi-final stage of Europe’s elite competition – on this occasion, to Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid. Bayern won 2-1 on the night but it was not enough to avoid an away goals exit and Simeone paid tribute to them as the best team he had ever faced.
“It was particularly so in the first half,” Simeone said. “It was unbelievable how they played. It was great to see such intensity. I was literally in love with this game. But we soaked up the pressure and we won the game. We coped with the pressure that they put on us. It’s just unbelievable what we have achieved. We have beaten two of the strongest teams in Europe – first Barcelona in the quarter-final and now Bayern.”
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