Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:20 a.m. / Updated Wednesday, April 15, 2026 10:21 a.m.
At the end of the match Atlético – Barcelonascore 1-2 (3-2 overall), the Madrid players laughed at their rivals on social networks.
After securing their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Diego Simeone's side sent an 'arrow' to the Catalans with a post that quickly went viral.
The qualification was by no means an easy one for Atletico Madrid. Despite taking a 2-0 lead at Camp Nou, Madrid suffered at home to secure their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals against a Barcelona side that at one point looked capable of turning the tide of the double leg.
Diego Pablo Simeone has taken full advantage of this advantage, becoming the first manager to knock Barcelona out of the Champions League 3 times, according to Marca. He accomplished this feat in the quarterfinals in 2014, 2016 and now in 2026.
VIDEO. Atletico Madrid laughed at Barcelona after knocking them out of the Champions League
Atletico Madrid's official X platform account posted a video in which a lion appears to be attacking a bus with people, but it turns out the animal wasn't dangerous at all, it was actually a dog with the Barcelona emblem on its forehead.
“Give me a grrrrr”, appears in the description of the post, recalling the song of the same name, performed by Fantomel and Kate Linn.
Atletico Madrid now await their semi-final opponent, which will be decided by the double leg where Arsenal start with a one-goal advantage over Sporting Lisbon.
. In a possible final of the Champions League, the Madrid players could face Paris Saint-Germain or the winner of the duel between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
It's been 14 years since I've been here and to be honest, seeing the team compete like this still gives me a thrill. The players have changed, we have started from scratch countless times and we are again among the top four teams in Europe.
We faced a team that plays exceptionally well, with incredible speed, difficult to control. We worked really hard after going 0-2 down after some individual errors.
– Diego Simeone, after Atletico – Barcelona
