Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann. (Photo : Getty Images)
Heartbreak team Atletico Madrid will face Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League. Their first leg match is scheduled at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on Wednesday, April 27th as both teams look to gain the upper hand before heading out to the Allianz Arena for their second leg encounter.
Atletico Madrid defeated fellow La Liga club and Champions League defending champions FC Barcelona, 2-0, also at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on April 13th to pull off a come-from-behind 3-2 win on aggregate during their quarterfinals series, as per SkySports.
French forward Antoine Griezmann scored the two goals for Diego Simeone's squad at the 36th and 88th minutes to knock out the highly-favored defending La Liga and Champions League winners from the competitions.
Barça, with their deadly forward combination of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Neymar, entered the match as the favorites to go through the semis and eventually repeat as champions of the said European club tourney, which would have been unprecedented, after they won the first leg, 2-1, at the Nou Camp on April 5th.
However, Atleti showed why they are the best defensive team in the world right now as they shutout all of the Blaugrana's firepower as Messi, Suárez, and Neymar, three of the best goalscorers in football today, were unable to score anything the whole match.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich leveled with Portuguese champions SL Benfica, 2-2, at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon also on April 13th to win 3-2 on aggregate after taking a 1-0 victory at the Allianz Arena on April 5th, as reported by BBC Sport.
Mexican forward Raul Jimenez opened the scoring at the 27th minute for Benfica, but Bayern scored the next two goals, courtesy of midfielders Arturo Vidal and Thomas Müller at the 38th and 52nd minutes respectively, to take a one point lead.
Der FCB then allowed Brazilian winger Talisca to net the equalizer at the 76th, but it was enough for the Bavarians to get the win and advance to the semifinals.
The predicted result is a close 1-0 victory for Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Oblak; Juanfran, Godin, Gomez, Luis; Niguez, Gabi, Fernandez, Koke; Griezmann, Carrasco
Bayern Munich starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Neuer; Lahm, Martinez, Kimmich, Alaba; Alonso; Costa, Vidal, Thiago, Ribery; Müller
