Costa brace propels Atletico into last 8

 

MADRID, March 12 (AP): Diego Costa's breakout season continued to be the catalyst to Atletico Madrid's success as it beat AC Milan 4-1 to reach the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday for the first time since 1997.

Diego Costa added two more goals to his season tally, jumping high to stab home at the far post following a Milan turnover just three minutes into a raucous contest at the capacity Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Kaka gave Milan some hope by canceling out the opener in the 27th only to rue a glaring miss moments before Arda Turan volleyed over Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati to put Atletico back in front.

With Milan striker Mario Balotelli ineffective, Atletico choked its opponent with constant pressure after the restart and slowly began to pull away with Raul Garcia heading home before Diego Costa completed the 5-1 aggregate win with his 29th goal of the season. Milan's exit left Europe's top-tier tournament without an Italian team in the last eight.
Atletico's near 50,000 fans provided the Spanish club with extra pep throughout, but especially at the start when the hosts dominated a Milan team that seemed a step behind.

"I'm happy because this is a group of men who interpret football in an extraordinary way," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. "They have incredible passion for our play. We played the game we needed to, especially at the start."

Michael Essien was particularly exposed by Atletico's speed, and his turnover led Koke to set up Diego Costa for the acrobatic opener. Milan began to dominate possession and bounced back into the contest.

Despite a weak effort from Balotelli, Milan made Atletico pay for its lethargic play as Kaka reached Andrea Poli's cross at the far post to head off defender Juanfran Torres and beyond goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Kaka should have made it 2-1 after another defensive lapse by Atletico, but the Brazilian headed over while alone in the box.

That miss proved costly as Turan chested the ball down in the 40th for a quick volley that took a deflection and dipped over Abbiati. "The second goal killed us, the players lost a lot from that," said Milan coach Clarence Seedorf, whose team's poor domestic season means it is unlikely to return to the competition next season. "Mentally we couldn't recover after that."

Balotelli's frustration got the better of him as he was booked for protesting before halftime, the Italy striker looking sullen and adrift of his teammates for most of the match. All of Atletico's players, meanwhile, seemed to be contributing as the Spanish upstarts also thrived off the boot of Diego Costa.
"If I am where I am, it's because the team helped get me here. I could never have achieved this on my own," Diego Costa said after taking his Champions League tally to seven goals. "I just try to help the team."

Garcia rose high to nod home a free kick in the 70th before Diego Costa capped the rout, with the Spain striker dragging the loose ball between Milan defenders before setting up to cut a low shot beyond Abbiati. "To score four goals against Milan is never easy," Simeone said. "No doubt the quarters will be difficult so now we have to rest and regroup without losing our intensity."

 

Simeone open to all Spanish quarterfinal
MADRID, March 12 (AFP): Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone welcomed the possibility of meeting La Liga rivals Real Madrid or Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Champions League after his side thrashed AC Milan 4-1 in the second leg of their last 16 tie on Wednesday to progress 5-1 on aggregate.

It is the first time since Simeone was an Atletico player back in 1997 that Los Rojiblancos have reached the last eight of the Champions League and the Argentine insists they must enjoy the experience no matter who they are paired with.

"We will wait until the opponent comes out of the hat. It doesn't bother me at all if it is a Spanish team. "We will continue with humility as we always do and you can't choose who you play. All we can do is relax and recuperate."

Already leading 1-0 from the first leg three weeks ago, Atletico made a fast start and went in front on three minutes through an acrobatic effort from Diego Costa. Kaka's headed equaliser 24 minutes later briefly gave Milan hope of a comeback, but Arda Turan's deflected effort restored Atletico's lead before half-time.

And goals in the final 20 minutes from Raul Garcia and Costa once more rounded off a glorious evening for the hosts. "We started better and it seemed like the tie was well on track, but then they grew into the game. We weren't getting to them on the wings and it complicated things for us. "It was not so much the second goal, but the third goal that allowed us to relax because it was then very difficult to come back in the tie."

Milan boss Clarence Seedorf congratulated Atletico on a deserved win over the two legs, but lamented his side's luck as Arda's deflected goal came when they were having a good spell. "Congratulations to Atletico, they deserved this victory, especially in the second-half. "We lost control of the game. Their second goal arrived when we were having our best spell in the game, but that is football."

Seedorf has only been in charge of the seven-time European champions since January as he replaced the sacked Massimiliano Allegri. The Rossoneri's season is now effectively over as they lie 11th in Serie A, nine points off the European places. And the former Dutch international admitted he now has to build the side with an eye to returning Milan to their former glory next season.

"I arrived to help and improve the situation. Next season we will build something new and better. This year everything started badly and now we are trying to fill the holes. "There will be a natural change in the side. We still have 11 games left and we need to get as many points as possible to finish the season with dignity."