EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMADRID -- How confident was Hansi Flick of turning this UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie around?"Nine or ten [out of ten]," the Barcelona coach told Spanish TV before kickoff, undeterred by Atltico Madrid's imposing 2-0 first-leg lead.And why not? When you've got Lamine Yamal, you've got every reason to be positive. The teenager is already so good, so decisive, so often, that it was no surprise to see him dominating this second leg at the Metropolitano right from the start, unfazed by the occasion or the atmosphere.- Champions League recap: PSG, Atltico Madrid off to semifinals- Meet Muriqi, the 'Pirate' battling Mbapp to be LaLiga's top scorer- Tracking Europe's top soccer leagues: Title races, UCL, relegation"Since I was a kid, I've taken on a lot of responsibility," the 18-year-old said the day before the game. "I'm used to it. I don't mind."Yamal's first-half performance made the prospect of a comeback possible, putting Bara 2-0 up on the night and 2-2 on aggregate. But the hosts endured, as veterans like Antoine Griezmann and captain Koke were outstanding, and they found a way back."It was really hard for us at first today," Koke said afterwards."But we were able to get back into the game. I kept saying, 'We're level in the tie, we have to keep going, and get a goal.' And that's what we did."At kickoff, Atltico would have been determined to keep Yamal and the opening stages as quiet and incident-free as possible, protecting that two-goal advantage. Good luck with that. Just 30 seconds had passed when the teenager picked up the ball, charged straight at the Atltico defense, and saw his shot tipped around the post by goalkeeper Juan Musso.It was a warning for the home side, if they needed it. But keeping Yamal quiet was never likely to be an option, especially for this makeshift Atltico defense, with Robin Le Normand and Clment Lenglet -- neither first-choice for coach Diego Simeone this season -- starting at center back.Four minutes in, Yamal made it 1-0, and the culprit was Lenglet, who often looks an accident waiting to happen when he appears in these high-profile games. Under pressure, the defender gave the ball away. Ferran Torres played in Yamal, who finished through Musso's legs.It was the 18-year-old's 11th Champions League goal. No player has scored more before his 19th birthday, as Kylian Mbapp had only managed 10 at the same age. Already, Atltico were wobbling, the stadium's raucous pre-match confidence shaken. On 23 minutes, it was 2-0, Torres finishing from Dani Olmo's clever through ball.Torres had been a brave selection from Flick, picked ahead of Robert Lewandowski. Torres went 13 games over two months before scoring against Espanyol last weekend. Here, Flick made the right call, as Torres delivered again.Only a long break in play, as Fermn Lpez received treatment for an injury to his face, allowed Atltico to compose themselves. Ademola Lookman's 31st-minute goal, after Griezmann played in Marcos Llorente on the right, helped the Metropolitano crowd find its voice again. Lookman has now been involved in nine goals since joining Atltico in February, second only to Julin Alvarez.By halftime, Barcelona had created five big chances, according to Opta. Yamal had scored one of them and created three others, for Olmo, Lpez and Torres. But they were still behind in the tie. Their 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou last week had given them so much to do. Even Lamine's magic hadn't yet been enough.In the second half, there were more heart-in-mouth moments for Atltico -- Torres had a goal disallowed for offside, and Olmo shot over the bar when well placed -- but Barcelona never quite recovered the Yamal-led momentum of the first-half push.Eric Garca's late red card, for a last-man shirt pull on substitute Alexander Srloth, made the task that much harder. It was Barcelona's second red card of the tie, after Pau Cubars's early dismissal last week, two sendings off which have complicated an already difficult task. In all competitions, Barcelona have received eight red cards this season and three of them have come against Atltico.In eight minutes of added time, Flick resorted to throwing Ronald Arajo up front, and Bara were almost rewarded when he headed over the bar in the 97th minute. After that, there was time for one last Yamal dribble, a cross to the far post towards Arajo, and it was game over."We played well, and we gave everything," Frenkie de Jong said. "We tried. The feeling is that luck wasn't on our side. We have to keep going, we're going in the right direction. With one player fewer, it's always more difficult."Simeone and Atltico's Champions League record against Barcelona is impeccable, advancing in the quarterfinals in 2014, 2016 and now in 2026. The last two times, Atltico reached the final, only to lose to rivals Real Madrid.This current edition is a more exciting and more vulnerable team than their reputation -- and that of Simeone -- might suggest. Already well adrift in LaLiga, they have a Copa del Rey final on Saturday against Real Sociedad -- and then will be able to focus all their efforts on this competition.As for Barcelona and Yamal, their season is almost certain to end with a second consecutive LaLiga title, but hopes of a first Champions League win since 2015 will have to wait another year."The next step is to win LaLiga," said Flick. "We are on the way. It's not done yet. It's a big dream to win the Champions League. We have a young team and they can and will improve."
