Atletico Madrid eased into the Champions League quarter-finals after a goalless draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.
Fernando Torres had missed Atleti’s last two games due to a head injury scare, but the striker was back among the substitutes. Filipe Luis and Gabi Fernandez, however, were suspended from the first leg, which ended 4-2 to Los Colchoneros.
Atleti seemed disjointed for much of the first half, with Leverkusen allowed to knock on the door. Kevin Volland angled an early shot past Jan Oblak, but it went inches wide of the goalkeeper’s far post.
Angel Correa subsequently had a close-range effort blocked, before former Real Madrid striker Javier Hernandez took too long to pull the trigger at the other end.
The Germans had Bernd Leno to thank towards the end of the first half as the goalkeeper made a magnificent double save to keep his side in the tie.
Leno first made a fine stop to his left to tip Correa’s one-on-one finish around the post and then got a hand down low onto Koke’s daisy-cutter.
Ten minutes into the restart, lovely feet from Correa saw him dance his way through the Leverkusen box, but his side-footed finish could only creep wide.
Griezmann, meanwhile, almost caught Leno off his line as his chip bounced inches wide of the goalkeeper’s far post.
Still, the defining point in the tie was to follow. Gimenez was robbed near his own box by Julian Brandt, but neither he nor Volland could beat Oblak from point-blank range.
The Slovenian received the loudest cheers of the night by far for his triple stop, and he went on to make two more on Kevin Kampl and substitute Leon Bailey.
Saul Niguez was slipped through by Griezmann, with normal time drawing to a close, but his shot was saved by Leno.
Atletico Madrid 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen (4-2 agg.)
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Vrsaljko, Godin, Gimenez, Lucas; Koke, Saul, Thomas, Carrasco (Savic 71); Griezmann, Correa (Gaitan 65)
Bayer Leverkusen: Leno; Hilbert, Jedvaj, Dragovic, Wendell; Brandt (Bailey 78), Baumgartlinger, Kampl, Bellarabi; Chicharito (Mehmedi 81), Volland (Aranguiz 88)
Referee: Karasev (RUS)
