Atletico Madrid are through to the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League after beating Barcelona 2-1 on aggregate.
Simeone's side took the lead after just 5 minutes, when the defensive frailties of Barça were exposed once more. Adrian, in the side to replace the talismanic Diego Costa who was ruled out with a hamstring injury, was played through on goal but his shot cannoned off the frame of the goal. David Villa recovered possession before sending in a cross that was headed down by Adrian for Koke to score.
It wasn't a goal that changed much as Barcelona knew they needed to score even before kick off with the sides drawing 1-1 at the Camp Nou a week earlier. They could count on plenty of firepower with the likes of Messi, Iniesta and Neymar all starting.
But Atletico weren't about to roll over, in fact the home side kept pressing and could have added to their early goal. David Villa hit the post twice, the former Barcelona forward unlucky not to have added to their lead. Atletico were relentless in their pressure and Barcelona couldn't find their rhythm, with as many as three players at a time pressuring the player in possession.
Barcelona finally created their first chance when Dani Alves' cross was met by an unmarked Leo Messi, but the Argentine headed just wide of goal. Crosses were to prove the modus operandi of the away side, such was the compact-ness of Atletico, who denied Barcelona's creative players finding space between the lines and forcing play out wide.
The chances dried up after that, as Barça hogged the ball - and Atletico were more than happy to let them have it - without really creating anything. The first half ended with Atletico in the ascendency and Barcelona needing to find answers to the questions posed by Simeone's men.
Barcelona created their first real chance of the second half when Neymar was played in by a Xavi pass that threaded the needle, the Brazilian tried to take it around Courtois but the Belgian shot stopper read the play well and dived at his feet to stop him progressing further. The rebound could've been put in by Messi, but he wasn't helped by the recovery of the Atletico defenders who raced to the goalline to make what would've been an easy chance for a player of Messi's quality, much harder.
Barcelona's best chances of the second half once more came from crosses. Dani Alves sent in a ball straight on to Xavi's head but the skipper couldn't steer his glancing header on target. Another cross by Alves was met by a diving Neymar, but once more the header went just wide.
Things were beginning to get desperate now for Martino's men, and Atletico were beggining to find space behind the defence as more and more Blaugrana players commited forward. Gabi and David Villa linked up well for the captain to run at goal. He used Villa's run as a decoy to create space to shoot at goal but was denied by the feet of Pinto. Prior to that substitute Diego manouevred his way into the penalty are before unleashing a shot that was well saved by Pinto.
Barça continued to cross but found little joy. Their players frustrated by the discipline of Atletico. Lionel Messi hardly got into the game, and while not as dependent on Messi as critics often say, Barcelona did suffer from it. Atletico were too good, thoroughly deserving of their win. They've earned their place amongst the top 4 sides in Europe, a feat not achieved by Los Rojiblancos since 1974