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Atletico Madrid beat Inter Milan on penalties in their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday, March 13. The game ended 2-1 on the night in favor of Atletico, with the overall aggregate tied at 2-2.
It led to a penalty shootout, which Atletico Madrid won 3-2, with Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez missing the decisive kick for the Italian side as he shot over the bar.
Doing his commentary for TNT Sport, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand felt Martinez would miss even before he took his shot. He explained (via Metro):
"As he was walking up he tried to kick the ball up but he fumbled it as he was trying to do it. As he was doing this I was thinking, oh my God he can’t kick the ball up, he’s nervous, his legs have gone."
"And he puts the ball down and 0from that moment I wasn’t confident, I thought he would miss. He looked down at the penalty spot too. he’s on a carpet out there!" Ferdinand added.
Ferdinand's former England teammate Joe Cole echoed similar sentiments, saying:
"He looked like a nervous man, someone usually so assured and clinical. But that is what it [a penalty shoot-out] does to you. (Jan)Oblak dived a bit early but he didn’t take a look. He tried to lace it and he got it wrong."
Diego Simeone did not watch Atletico Madrid's penalty shootout against Inter Milan
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was an emotional man after the exciting win against Inter Milan. Speaking after the game, Simeone told Movistar (via ESPN) that he did not watch the players take the spot-kicks.
"I didn't watch. It's not good for me to watch, I decided not to...Jan deserves it. It's always been hard for us with penalties. I was just looking at the images of the fans on the TV, it's emotional."
"When the team is like it was today, the hope grows, and we generate that excitement. We're among the eight best [teams] in Europe once more, that says a lot about the club," Simeone added.
Atletico suffered a heartbreak in a penalty shootout in the 2016 UEFA Champions League when they lost to rivals Real Madrid in the final.
