Atletico Madrid have little rancour after last night’s dramatic victory over Inter on penalties, one which sees them through to quarter-finals of the Champions League. Los Rojiblancos were hitting their headlines for their ambitious and intense play on Wednesday night, and it was Inter that had to resort to the dark arts to disrupt the home side.
During the first half of extra time, as the two sides fought tooth and nail to get the winner, Inter forward Marcus Thuram used force in the wrong area, appearing to grab Stefan Savic’s testicles as the pair vied for position during a throw-in.
Stefan Savic is no stranger to the dark arts, but Marcus Thuram very much below the belt here. pic.twitter.com/WQzPLInffy
— Football España (@footballespana_) March 14, 2024
The referee did not punish Thuram, and after Savic recovered, he wore the same smile as Thuram following the incident, as VAR surprisingly did not intervene.
"He was speaking perfect Italian in Fiorentina! Maybe he forgot…"@delpieroale catches up with Big Meeks's former teammate and current Atléti defender Stefan Savić 🤌 pic.twitter.com/nU5YBc4s48
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 13, 2024
That was out of character for the game as a whole though, which for the most part was well and cleanly contested between two committed teams.
🚨🤯 Atletico Madrid become the first team to win three separate penalty shootouts in Champions League history.
[via @BBCMOTD] pic.twitter.com/RccAXkPGT3
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 13, 2024