This was not a classic Manchester City victory. Technically, Wednesday on its own wasn’t a victory at all. But it was nevertheless all the more valuable for that. There will be talk of a mature European performance, and perhaps it was. But more than that, it was simply a properly resolute defensive display. For periods in the cauldron of Atlético Madrid’s Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, especially in the second half, City was unable to get its passing game going, but even without center back leader Rúben Dias, it had the wherewithal to hold out for a 0–0 draw that took it through (1–0 aggregate) to the Champions League semifinals, where it will face another Spanish capital power, Real Madrid.
For City, leading 1–0 from the first leg, it was a case of weathering the storm that came, predictably enough, at the beginning of each half and then in the final 20 minutes (plus the additional 12 of stoppage time). There was an element of fortune perhaps, John Stones making one extraordinary block from Matheus Cunha, Ángel Correa drilling a late opportunity into Ederson’s body and a couple of other chances drifting just wide. But if Pep Guardiola was owed some fortune against anybody it is Diego Simeone, given the way his Bayern Munich side lost on away goals to Atlético in the 2016 semifinals despite having dominated both legs.
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