Atletico Madrid advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League with draw in Leicester

Atletico had all the odds stacked in their favour when they landed in Leicester. After hitting their most potent patch of the season, they had a goal advantage in a game that was sure to see limited chances and not a lot of goals.

Diego Simeone opted for a defensive starting XI when he threw Jose Gimenez into a midfielder that contained Gabi, Saúl and Koke with Yannick Carrasco and Antoine Griezmann as the only two attacking options. Koke occasionally pushed himself forward but it was a very measured, and defensive display from last years Champions League finalists.

As expected, chances were few and far between but Saul gave Atletico the lead after 26 minutes when Marc Albrighton switched off at the back post and the Spanish midfielder nodded home to beat Kasper Schmeichel.

At that point, Leicester were deflated and they knew they need three goals to give themselves a chance of advancing (without Atletico scoring). The visiting side continued to manage the game but Jamie Vardy became the first English player to score in a Champions League quarter-final sine Frank Lampard in 2012 when he drove home a deflected Ben Chilwell cross after an hour.

It was an uphill battle for Leicester but they continued to battle. It was a case of Atletico continuing to manage the game though without ever threatening themselves.