Atletico Madrid defeated Inter Milan to secure their spot in the Champions League quarterfinals, and Jan Oblak was delighted to be the hero.
Federico Dimarco’s opening goal was cancelled out by goals from Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay, tying the match on aggregate. Oblak then made two saves in a penalty shootout that Atletico won 3-2.
And as he considered a dramatic night in the capital of Spain, the 31-year-old keeper could not contain his smile.
“Wonderful night,” he said in an interview with TNT Sports. I’m thrilled for the team because it’s always pleasant to win and advance to the Champions League quarterfinals.
“Over the past month, we haven’t been in good shape, but today we proved that we can do much more. I hope we can keep it up.”
Diego Simeone’s team was trailing 1-0 going into the second leg due to their poor away performance this season.
However, Oblak believes that if they are to compete in the later stages of the competition, they must improve their performances on enemy territory.
No one comprehends it, he continued. We need to change, even though I’m not sure why we are this way. Playing video games at home is not enough. We believe we can win at home, even though we have a poor away record in La Liga and a defeat against Inter in the Champions League
“You can watch all the videos and prepare yourself, but players frequently change their minds, so in my opinion, the penalties are like winning the lottery”. Fortunately, I was able to stop after two, and I’m glad.
“A penalty is difficult to stop. Although it may appear simple on the surface, there are times when following the correct path is irrelevant due to the vastness of the goal.”