Atletico Madrid eliminated Barcelona in a fiery quarter‑final, while PSG crushed Liverpool 4‑0 on aggregate. Both sides advanced to the Champions League semi‑finals, setting up blockbuster clashes in Europe’s elite competition.
Atletico Madrid sent 10-man Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League and reached the final four with a 3-2 aggregate victory despite Tuesday's 2-1 quarter-final second leg defeat.
Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres fired visitors Barca ahead inside 24 minutes but Ademola Lookman's strike gave Atletico the edge in the gripping all-Spanish tie once again after their 2-0 win in the first leg.
Diego Simeone's side returned to the semi-finals for the first time since 2017 by holding on against the La Liga champions in a compelling and bloody battle.
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Barcelona defender Eric Garcia was sent off for bringing down Alexander Sorloth as he ran in on goal in the final stages, hampering their chances of finding a third goal to force extra-time.
Atletico, who have never won the competition and lost the 2014 and 2016 finals with Simeone at the helm, will face Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the semi-finals.
"(We're) very happy, knocking out a great Barca side. We had a great game away... it was really hard for us at the start (of this one), but the team knew how to get back on its feet," Atletico midfielder Koke told Movistar.
Barcelona last won the Champions League in 2015 and their wait for a sixth crown continues, but midfielder Frenkie de Jong said that the club was on the right path despite their elimination.
"I think we had a very good game, we gave our lives out there, we tried everything," said the Dutchman.
"I feel like luck was not on our side. We have to continue -- we're on a good path, we're growing every year."
Barca coach Hansi Flick benched forwards Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski for workhorses Torres and Gavi, looking to press Atletico relentlessly in the sixth match between these sides this season.
Goalkeeper Juan Musso tipped a Yamal effort around his post after just 32 seconds, with Barca roaring out of the blocks in a fiery atmosphere at the Metropolitano stadium.
The teenage winger fired the visitors ahead after just four minutes when he harried Clement Lenglet into giving the ball away.
Torres nudged it back to Yamal who slipped a low shot through Musso's legs to hush the home fans and ignite Barca's attempted comeback bid.
Dani Olmo nearly grabbed a second but Musso was able to reach his attempted lob as Barca continued to dominate.
Antoine Griezmann had a shot deflected wide as Atletico showed occasional flashes, mostly through enterprising winger Lookman, who gave Jules Kounde a difficult night.
Barcelona doubled their lead in the 24th minute to level the tie on aggregate when Torres left Lenglet trailing, reached Olmo's pass and fired across Musso into the top corner.
Fermin Lopez could have notched Barca's third but Musso clawed out his header and left the midfielder bleeding after his boot caught the Spaniard in the face.
Atletico pulled their way back into the game in the 31st minute after Barca switched off defensively for the first time.
Marcos Llorente charged in down the right behind the Catalans' high defensive line and crossed for Lookman to convert.
- Another red card -
Barcelona were frustrated early in the second half when Torres volleyed home but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Flick sent on Rashford and Lewandowski with around 20 minutes remaining to find the goal that last season's semi-finalists needed.
Barca stopper Joan Garcia made a fine save with his leg to thwart Robin Le Normand from close range as Atletico almost pulled level on the night.
Matteo Ruggieri was left with blood streaming down his face after Gavi caught him with an elbow, with tensions rising.
The game spun away from Barca when Eric Garcia was sent off for clipping Sorloth's heels as he ran through on goal, similar to Pau Cubarsi's red card in the first leg.
Flick threw centre-back Ronald Araujo up front for the final stages but there was no way back and Atletico gritted their teeth through eight minutes of stoppage time before the celebrations could begin.
To compound the English champions' woes, Hugo Ekitike suffered a serious-looking injury that could end his season and hinder Liverpool's chances of being back among Europe's elite next season.
Arne Slot's men sit fifth in the Premier League and will end the campaign trophyless after being kept at arm's reach by a PSG side that did not need to be at their brilliant best to reach a third consecutive semi-final.
Defeat means there will be no glorious goodbye for Mohamed Salah after nine memorable years on Merseyside.
Slot showed little sentiment as he dropped the Egyptian to the bench on his final Champions League appearance in red.
Alexander Isak was preferred up front as the most expensive player in Premier League history started for the first time since breaking his leg in December. However, Salah was forced into action after just half an hour as Ekitike suffered a nasty-looking injury that could ruin his World Cup hopes with France.
The former PSG striker crumpled in a heap holding his lower right leg with a suspected ruptured Achilles.
Salah nearly made an immediate impact as from his cross Matvey Safonov made a fine save from Milos Kerkez before Marquinhos produced a remarkable block to deny Virgil van Dijk the opening goal.
PSG had plenty of chances to have put the tie to bed in the Parc des Princes last week and were profligate once more in the first half.
Giorgi Mamardashvili scrambled back towards his line to punch away Dembele's attempted chip before the Ballon d'Or winner blazed over from close range with just the Georgian to beat.
Slot admitted before kick-off that Isak could only last for 45 minutes due to a lack of match practice and the Swede made way for Cody Gakpo at half-time in a further blow to Liverpool's firepower up front. Kerkez had the best chance to set up a grandstand finale when he sliced wide another inviting Salah delivery.
Liverpool thought they had been gifted a lifeline when Alexis Mac Allister was awarded a very generous penalty for minimal contact by Willian Pacho, but VAR intervened to instruct referee Maurizio Mariani to reverse his original decision.
But as Liverpool poured forward in desperation, they became a sitting duck for the rapid PSG counter-attack.
Dembele finally killed the tie off 18 minutes from time when he cut onto his left foot and curled into the bottom corner from outside the box.
The French international then inflicted the final blow with a cool finish from Bradley Barcola's cross in stoppage time. PSG will face a tougher test against the in-form Bayern Munich or 15-time winners Real Madrid in the last four.
But after ending the Qatari-backed French champions' long wait to conquer Europe last season, Luis Enrique's men remain on course to become the only side other than Madrid to retain the competition in the Champions League era. They won 2-0 on Tuesday night and 4-0 on aggregate vs Liverpool.
AFP (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
