LONDON: Holders Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League in the last 16 after Atletico Madrid scored three goals in extra time to earn a shock 3-2 victory at Anfield on Wednesday that sent them through 4-2 on aggregate.

Liverpool looked to have ended Atletico’s dogged resistance when Roberto Firmino put them ahead in the tie after Georginio Wijnaldum’s first-half header forced the second leg into an extra 30 minutes.

However, they were made to rue a host of missed chances to kill the tie off in 90 minutes as Marcos Llorente twice curled home from outside the box before Alvaro Morata added a late third to ensure a famous victory for Diego Simeone’s side against a Liverpool team unbeaten in their last 25 home games in European competition.

Premier League leaders Liverpool enjoyed the greater possession, created more chances, drew a series of saves from Atletico keeper Jan Oblak yet after last season’s memorable comeback against Barcelona in the semi-finals, it was the Spaniards who turned the tables this time.

Defeat ends Jurgen Klopp’s proud record of never losing a two-legged European tie as Liverpool manager and he took a swipe of Atletico’s defensive tactics.

“The way they play, I don’t get it,” said Klopp. “They could play proper football but they stand deep and have counter-attacks. We accept it of course but it doesnt feel right tonight.”

It remains to be seen if and when Atletico will play in the last eight due to the chaos caused across the continent by the new coronavirus.

But Simeone basked in another famous European night for the side he has twice led to the final in his eight years in charge.

“We play to win, with the arms that we have,” said Simeone. “Respecting our identity, the characteristics of our players and exploiting the defects of our rivals.”

In the other Champions League match on Wednesday, Neymar set Paris St Germain on their way to a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, taking them through to the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.

PSG needed to overturn a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their last-16 tie in Germany, but Neymar’s 28th-minute header put them ahead on the night in the second leg and left back Juan Bernat made it 2-0 just before the break.

“We played like a team, reliable and together. We needed to show that,” said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel, who said after the first leg that his players had looked scared.

Dortmund hardly resembled the side which dominated the first leg, however, and midfielder Emre Can was sent off near the end after shoving Neymar over.

The game in Paris was played in an empty Parc des Princes because of the virus outbreak that has played havoc with the worlds sporting calendar.

But that was not the situation at Anfield, where Atletico fans were allowed to travel despite roughly half of Spain’s coronavirus cases which have surpassed 2,000 and two-thirds of the country’s virus deaths occurring in Madrid.

ADRIAN’S ERROR

Anfield was rocking. Klopp was beating his chest and punching the air. Another famous comeback was on for Liverpool.

One error from their backup goalkeeper saw it all come crashing down for the titleholders.

When Adrian received the ball at his feet seven minutes into extra time, Liverpool had just gone 2-0 ahead. The Reds just needed to keep their composure to see the game through.

Instead, Adrian sidefooted a poor clearance along the ground and straight to Joao Felix, who set up substitute Llorente to score the crucial away goal that put Liverpool on the back foot for the first time in the second leg.

Llorente had joined Atletico from bitter rivals Real Madrid in a controversial move in June.

But the man whose father and great uncle, Francisco Gento, also played for Real, made himself a Rojiblanco hero with a second that secured Atletico’s place in the last eight with another precise low finish in added time at the end of the first half of extra time.

Another former Real player Morata then broke away and finished calmly to inflict Liverpool’s first Champions League home defeat since 2014.

“We don’t know where our limit is,” said Llorente who had only scored once for Atletico before this game. “We all defended until the death and when a team all digs in like this, things like this happen. I cannot describe this feeling.”

After allowing an early chance for Diego Costa, Liverpool — who did not manage a single shot on target in a 1-0 defeat in Madrid three weeks ago — had laid siege to the Atletico goal. They powered forward in waves of attacks but Atletico were resilient.

The home team broke through two minutes before halftime when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain burst to the byline and pulled back a cross to Wijnaldum who powered an angled header into the bottom corner.

The goal did not change Atletico’s approach as they played a risky game and relied on Oblak to keep them in the game.

Atletico thought they had grabbed a stoppage-time winner when Saul Niguez headed in a Renan Lodi cross but the effort was rightly flagged for offside, ensuring the game went to extra time.

It took just four minutes for Liverpool to take the lead in the tie with Firmino heading against the post and driving home the loose ball as Anfield got ready for a night of celebration.

Yet then it all went wrong for Klopp’s side.

LAST-16 DEMONS

Unrestrained scenes of joy revealed huge relief as PSG put their last-16 traumas behind them and reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2016.

The result eased painful memories of 2017, when PSG were eliminated 6-5 on aggregate by Barcelona after letting slip a 4-0 advantage, and of last season when they lost to Manchester United on away goals after a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

When the final whistle went, their yells and screams of released frustrations echoed around an empty stadium. But masses of PSG fans were celebrating wildly outside, having loyally cheered them on all game despite not being allowed inside.

The players soon joined in with them, waving their shirts in the air at the crowd gathered below them.

“It was a perfect game,” said centre-back Marquinhos, who with Presnel Kimpembe marshalled the PSG defence. “We now need to keep the same mindset for the remainder of the competition.”

PSG’s poor performance in Germany three weeks ago raised the possibility of a fourth straight elimination in the last-16 stage.

Nerves were settled when Neymar put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute as he headed home Angel Di Maria’s free kick for his 35th goal in 57 matches, making his presence count after missing the return leg against United through injury last season.

Bernat doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime by flicking in Pablo Sarabia’s cross from the right, following good work from Neymar and Di Maria.

As Dortmund poured forward late on, there were some fraying nerves in the PSG side.

This time, PSG held firm.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2020