The international Tyler Adams scored an 88th minute winner to help RB Leipzig beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 and advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League on Thursday.
The dramatic late win marks the first time the Bundesliga club has reached the last four of the league and set up a clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday for a place in the final.
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With two minutes left in normal time, Adams grabbed the victory with a deflected shot from outside the box to set up the semi-finals with the Parisians.
The German side had taken the lead in the 51st minute with a header from Spanish striker Dani Olmo, but a detached Atletico were shocked to life when record signing Joao Felix came off the bench, deserved a penalty. scored in the 71st.
Atletico, runners-up in 2014 and 2016, looked more likely to score the next goal, but it was the club that was founded just eleven years ago that continued to celebrate for the empty seats of the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Now the team, made up of the lower leagues and owned by energy beverage company Red Bull, will face off against Neymar and company with a chance at a spot on August 23rd.
As with all games in this ‘last eight’ mini-tournament, there were no fans to witness the drama, but it was clear from the start that Leipzig felt at home among the elite of European football.
They fired an early warning shot when Marcel Halstenberg was sent off at the back post, but his troublesome volley flew off goal.
Atletico responded with Yannick Carrasco bursting in from the left and scoring, but Leipzig’s goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi responded well to push the effort wide.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side, however, soon established themselves in the market of attractive passage and movement that has earned them many admirers.
Kevin Kampl was determined to attack in the middle, even his wing attacks ended up centrally. Angelot was given a chance to change things around. Dayot Upamecano was the replacement.
Solid defensively, and taking care of Atletico’s over-insulated striker Diego Costa, he also had the confidence to get the ball out of his back and be the starting point for Leipzig’s moves.
It was not surprising how different the game could have been if Leipzig had not sold their top scorer Timo Werner to Chelsea in June, seeing the lack of a real threat in attack.
But six minutes after the interval, they found a way through – Marcel Sabitzer’s cross from the right was met by Olmo, the Spaniard’s corner flashing past Jan Oblak and into the far, bottom corner.
The goal prompted Atletico boss Diego Simeone in a change, with Felix, the 20-year-old Portugal international and club record signing, introduced in the 58th minute.
The move paid off when Felix slipped into the box and was brought to a penalty kick by an unfair tackle by Lukas Klostermann.
Felix did not have the most influential debut seasons, but he had the confidence to get on his feet and bury the mockery to get the Spaniards back on level with 19 minutes left.
Atletico saw that the momentum had shifted and they shot forward in search of a winner, who looked the more likely outcome, possibly in extra time, as Leipzig struggled to gain control of the game.
But with two minutes of normal time left, substitute Adams tried his luck with a shot from outside the box, which defender Stefan Savic played off and hit the wrong foot Oblak.
Atletico stepped up to the pressure, but Leipzig had the faith and courage to hold on to their most famous victory.
Reuters information was used in this report.
