atlético madrid overcome psv in lengthy shoot-out published: tuesday 15 march 2016, 23.45cet atlético 0-0 psv (agg: 0-0, atlético win 8-7 on pens) the first uefa champions league knockout tie to finish goalless went the way of the hosts, luciano narsingh the only player to miss from the spot.
atlético madrid eliminate psv on spot kicks after a first knockout goalless tie psv's luciano narsingh hits the bar after the first 14 penalties are scored jeroen zoet frustrates atlético with several fine saves in normal time psv forward jürgen locadia has a shot tipped on to the far post quarter-final draw streamed live on uefa.com from 12.00cet on friday
atlético madrid advanced to the quarter-finals on penalties for the second successive season after their contest with psv eindhoven became the first uefa champions league knockout tie to finish goalless after two legs.
twelve months after they got the better of bayer leverkusen on spot kicks, the 2014 runners-up held their nerve in the pressure situation once again, scoring all eight of their efforts. luciano narsingh was the fall guy, rattling the crossbar with the 15th attempt before juanfran stepped up to fire the rojiblancos into the last eight.
goalkeeper jeroen zoet, atlético's nemesis in the first leg, was at it again after a quarter of an hour as he saved antoine griezmann's close-range strike, the france forward having been teed up by koke. ıt would prove by far and away the clearest opportunity of the opening 45 minutes.
even so, the tempo was still high, with psv more than playing their part as they picked their moments when to attack. the best of them arrived just before the hour, when the woodwork came to the liga side's rescue, jan oblak tipping jürgen locadia's shot against the far post. filipe luís blocked luuk de jong's header on the rebound.
apprehension began to set in among the home fans the longer it remained goalless, particularly when zoet repelled a late fernando torres effort and lucas hernández headed over in extra time. they need not have worried, however, as the atleti players kept their cool when it mattered most.
key player: josé maría giménez the uruguay defender was a rock at the back for his team. with the return of de jong to the psv lineup, he seemingly had his hands full yet was able to deal with the dutch international both aerially and on the ground. he also showed enormous courage and technique to take the first sudden-death penalty, which he put away with ease.
cocu wins tactical battle one of the most intriguing aspects of the draw was that it pitted together two former celebrated international midfielders and renowned tacticians. with the rojiblancos possessing an outstanding home record in uefa competition and favourites to prevail, psv boss phillip cocu sprang a surprise by setting up with a back three and five in midfield. though his side ultimately lost, they stifled the home team and credit for this must go to their coach.
electric atmosphere diego simeone issued a rallying cry to atlético fans in his pre-match press conference and his call to arms was answered by a vocal vicente calderón. before the game a mosaic was held up in addition to a banner declaring 'never stop believing'. neither team – or their fans – did, and when juanfran's winning penalty went in the proverbial roof came off.
