Leipzig stun atletico to reach ecl semis

RB Leipzig overcame the departure of top scorer Timo Werner when they stunned Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Thursday to set up a Champions League semi-final with Paris Saint-Germain. Dani Olmo

headed Leipzig ahead in the 51st minute, youngster Joao Felix levelled for Atletico 20 minutes later from a penalty, but a deflected shot from Tyler Adams won it for Leipzig in the 88th.

Founded only in 2009 and playing in the elite event for the second time, Leipzig dominated possession at the Estadio Jose Alvalade against three-time runners-up Atletico. The Spanish outfit

was a far cry from their last 16 triumph over title holders Liverpool. The eastern Germans caused a second surprise in a row after ousting last season's runners-up Tottenham Hotspur in

the previous round. They are the first German club other than Bayern and Borussia Dortmund to reach the last four since Schalke in 2011. On Tuesday, Leipzig play PSG who won the first

quarter-final 2-1 over Atalanta. Both will be bidding for a first-ever place in the final. "It was hard work. But we deserved victory, we are overjoyed," Leipzig's Marcel

Sabitzer told streaming portal DAZN. "We stayed calm after the equaliser, had a little luck and won." Yussuf Paulsen took the place of Werner who departed for Chelsea after the end

of the German season while there was no place for Felix in Diego Simeone's starting line-up in a return of the youngster to his home country. Julian Nagelsmann's Leipzig got the

first chance when Marcel Halstenberg volleyed over the bar in the fourth minute after Atletico failed to clear decisively. On the other end the lively Yannick Carrasco forced Peter Gulacsi

to a first save in the 13th from a tight angle, after a determined run from Renan Lodi down the left. Six minutes after the break the Germans found the opening, patiently passing the ball

around the Atletico penalty area from left to right, and Sabitzer's cross from the right then met by Olmo's glancing header into the far right corner. Felix came on in the 58th and

quickly made an impact. He was fouled by Lukas Klostermann and calmly converted the penalty himself in the 71st into the bottom left corner past the diving Gulacsi. The goal gave Atletico

confidence but it was Leipzig who eventually prevailed. The Germans broke on the left and the ball came to the substitute Adams whose shot from some 20 metres deflected by Savic into the net

over the wrong-footed Oblak. Atletico furiously pressed for another equaliser, with even Oblak moving up front, but Leipzig hung on through eight minutes of stoppage time. The other

quarter-finals at the mini-tournament behind closed doors in Lisbon are Bayern Munich against Barcelona on Friday, while Manchester City clash with Olympique Lyon. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM

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