Real Madrid Advances to UCL Quarterfinals After Thrilling Penalty Shootout Against Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid, with the match tied 2-2 on aggregate. Conor Gallagher opened the scoring for Atletico just 27 seconds into the match, but Real Madrid equalized in the shootout, with Antonio Rudiger scoring the decisive penalty after two Atletico players failed to convert. Despite a missed penalty from Vinícius Júnior during regulation time, Real Madrid's luck held as an earlier penalty by Julian Alvarez was disallowed for a double touch. Federico Valverde criticized his team's performance, noting they played as if the match was already won and emphasizing the need for improvement moving forward. The victory sets up a quarter-final clash against Arsenal. This win marks Real Madrid's continued dominance over Atletico in recent Champions League encounters.