“Ad augusta per angusta,” through difficulty to honour, the banner the stretched across the south stand of the Metropolitano had said, and it was right. Oh, how, it was right; more even than they had imagined. They would struggle and they would suffer, a wild night lived on the edge, one in which even the manager got injured, but in the end there was glory for Atlético Madrid. A game that could have gone any way, won or lost several times over, eventually went to the spot. And there, at 23.43pm local time, Lautaro Martínez all of people sent the ninth penalty high into the north end.
For the first time in 2024 Internazionale did not win a football match and it cost them in the cruellest way. It was nearly a decade since there had been a shootout in this competition; now there have been two in as many days. There had been 38 shots here, Atlético winning the game 2-1, but they would need nine more to decide this battle. Last year’s finalists are out; Atlético are through, the substitute Memphis Depay dragging them into extra time with a late goal and an almost superhuman display, then absolutely belting his spot-kick into the net before Jan Oblak took flight to save twice and sent them through.