Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all failed to deliver as holder Barcelona were dumped out of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday in a stunning 2-0 defeat by Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona’s star trio was kept in check by some tough defending from the home side, and France striker Antoine Griezmann scored a goal in each half as Atletico overturned a 2-1 loss at Camp Nou in last week’s first leg to win 3-2 on aggregate.
The result sent Diego Simeone’s team, who had played most of the first-leg match with 10 men, to the semi-finals for the second time in the past three seasons.
Photo: AFP
It shattered the hopes of favorites Barcelona, who had reached the semi-finals seven times in the past eight years.
“It wasn’t our best day,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. “We weren’t lucid and we struggled to create chances. After they scored, they did what they do best — which is defend. They did that very well and delivered a complete performance.”
The defeat ended Barcelona’s hopes of repeating the treble of Champions League, Copa del Rey and Spanish league titles.
Their performance was summed up by another disappointing display from Messi, who again failed to score his elusive 500th career goal.
The playmaker is enduring his worst scoring slump with Barcelona in five years and has not scored since a win over Arsenal in the round of 16 of the Champions League on March 16.
Only twice Barcelona had failed to advance after winning the first leg in their previous 40 attempts in UEFA competitions.
“The players wanted to retain the trophy, the fans too, but today it was not to be,” Luis Enrique said.
It was Atletico’s first win over Barcelona since Luis Enrique took over the Catalan club after the 2013-2014 season. Luis Enrique’s team had won the previous seven games against Simeone.
“We never stopped believing,” Simeone said. “We worked, knowing the situation, knowing what we can do. They had individuals who could break the game open, but we stayed together and stayed strong.”
Simeone succeeded by keeping in check Barcelona’s offensive trio, who did not threaten until late in the game, and even then could not create many clear chances.
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