Atlético Madrid 1-3

Independent:

Chelsea 1 Atletico Madrid 3
Blues suffer semi-final heartbreak as Atletico march on to all-Madrid final
Atletico run out comfortable winners despite Fernando Torres giving Chelsea the lead as Adrian Lopez, Diego Costa and Arda Turan send Diego Simeone's side to Lisbon

Sam Wallace

This was exactly the kind of humiliation routinely dished out to opponents in their own stadiums, in front of their own fans, that Jose Mourinho has made a speciality of serving up over his career, with one exception: this time it was he on the receiving end right down to the celebration of the opposing manager.

When Atletico Madrid’s third goal went in, Diego Simeone embarked on his own dash down the touchline at Stamford Bridge in the same manner that Mourinho did a decade earlier at Old Trafford as the puckish young coach of Porto. Now there is a new generation snapping at the heels of those who ruled the previous decade and it would be no exaggeration to say that Chelsea found themselves comprehensively schooled in the art of European football.
It turned into such a non-event for Chelsea that afterwards Mourinho could barely be bothered to construct a convincing excuse. He said that a save from Thibaut Courtois on 53 minutes, and then Atletico’s second goal six minutes later was the turning point of the match from which point it was “over”. Although given that they had 30 minutes to score two goals at home, that was hard to believe.
Unlike Sunday’s delicate unpicking of Liverpool’s title ambitions, Chelsea had the majority of the possession, but it was Atletico who had the lion’s share of the guile and, most importantly, the goals. Simeone’s team scored on the counter-attack but that did not mean that over the course of the evening they did not also commit to the attack, especially at the start of the second half when they took control of the game.
As for Chelsea, there was to be no perfect execution of a cunning Mourinho plan. Behind to Fernando Torres’ goal on 36 minutes, Atletico came back with three of their own and quite frankly, Stamford Bridge waited in vain for the surge from the home team that would pull the tie back in their direction.
It was Mourinho’s fourth straight semi-final defeat in this competition, and the third of his career with Chelsea. It was not made any easier to bear by the fact that the best Chelsea player on the pitch was arguably their on-loan goalkeeper Courtois who made three excellent second half saves. For their part, Chelsea conceded a penalty and gave the impression all night that their defence was vulnerable to the application of pressure.
The final on 24 May in Lisbon between Atletico and Real Madrid will be the first in the European Cup to be contested by two teams from the same city. Avoiding Real, the team that would love to eviscerate any side of Mourinho’s, might just be one small consolation for the Chelsea manager.
Chelsea controlled much more of the first half, in possession terms, than they have done in their two previous away games, and when they scored on 36 minutes it felt like reward for the pressure that had been exerted on Atletico.
This was a careful first half performance by his team, spoiled for Mourinho by an unusual Atletico equaliser just before the break which Chelsea had chances aplenty to stop. Before then they had defended well, albeit with a booking for Gary Cahill whose tendency to rely upon his athleticism and recovery powers let him down once when he chased back after Diego Costa and clipped the shins of the striker.
Other than that, Cahill and John Terry had worked hard to keep Costa, combative and fractious, at bay. They took the lead when Willian’s mix of perseverance and skill got him out from the corner flag despite the attention of two Atletico defenders. As he forced his way through the ball was taken over by Cesar Azpilicueta, picked in a right midfield. Azpilicueta crossed and Torres swept in the goal with a sizeable deflection off Mario Suarez.
Torres duly raised his hands in the gesture universally accepted as a refusal to celebrate a goal against one’s boyhood team. But he was the only in blue who resisted the temptation as Stamford Bridge began to believe in a third successive European final. It looked like the plan, whatever it was that Mourinho had cooked up, might work.
Yet there had been flashes of defensive vulnerability even then and there was another sharp intake of breath when Cahill slipped as he stooped for a routine clearing header, later looking down accusingly at the turf. One minute before half-time, Atletico took the advantage in the tie. The former Chelsea midfielder Tiago crossed long to the back post where right-back Juanfran got a foot around the ball and redirected it into the box.
At that point, Terry, Cole and Cahill were all between the ball and Adrian Lopez, but it took a course through all of them to the midfielder who struck a volley that bounced up past Mark Schwarzer and into the Chelsea goal.
Sent in for half-time with a frown on their faces, Chelsea emerged back under the cosh. It was after half-time that Simeone’s willing soldiers went up a gear and took the game to the home side with a period of pressure that culminated in their second goal. There were more high-jinks in the Chelsea defence two minutes into the half when Terry missed a Costa cross, Ivanovic failed to clear and Schwarzer had to push Arda Turan’s shot onto the bar.
Shortly after that, Mourinho decided to switch to 4-4-2, bringing off Cole, moving Azpilicueta into the left-back position and sending on Samuel Eto’o to join Torres in attack. Within five minutes the Chelsea substitute elected to make a disastrously careless challenge on Costa just inside his own area and the penalty was not a hard decision for the Italian referee.
What followed was some extensive gardening by Costa as he tried to manipulate the turf around the spot so that the ball would sit up for him. The length of time it took made the referee Nicola Rizzoli even more anxious and he booked Costa, possibly a first for a player waiting to take a penalty. It might have affected the concentration of others but Costa beat Schwarzer easily.
Bad for Chelsea but not quite irretrievable – that was to come later. On 72 minutes, amid Chelsea’s best period of pressure, Atletico broke on them, Juanfran crossed from the right and Turan’s header was pushed against the bar by Schwarzer. The momentum of the Turkey international took him into the box and towards the rebound which he rolled into the goal.
Even more galling for Chelsea, was that before both second half goals, Courtois had made fine saves. First from Terry’s header on 53 minutes and then, when a Luiz header had hit the post, the young Belgian reacted first to swipe the loose ball over the bar.
He made another save from Eden Hazard, who had a poor game by his standards, towards the end. At the final whistle it did look like Terry was in tears although there was no great outburst of emotion from the Atletico players. They had long known that this semi-final tie was in the bag.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Schwarzer; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole (Eto'o, 53); Ramires, Luiz; Willian (Schurrle, 76), Hazard, Azpilicueta; Torres (Ba, 65).
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Felipe Luis; Koke, Tiago, Mario Suarez, Turan (Rodriguez, 82); Diego Costa (Sosa, 76), Lopez (Garcia, 66).
Booked:
Chelsea - Cahill
Atletico Madrid - Costa, Lopez
Man of the match: Diego Costa
Match Rating: 7/10

===============

Guardian:

Chelsea 1 Atlético 3

Chelsea bow out to superior firepower of Atlético Madrid

Daniel Taylor

Once again there was the sight of a manager running along the touchline at Stamford Bridge, screaming to the skies and letting out all the euphoria. Except this time José Mourinho was back in the dugout, hands pushed into his pockets, absorbing the fact there will be no place for his team at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on 24 May.
Chelsea chose a bad night to lose their streak of resilience and Atlético were ruthless in the way they responded to Fernando Torres, their old favourite, opening the scoring. Chelsea have played with so much defensive expertise lately, but ultimately it finished as the heaviest defeat Mourinho has suffered on this ground.
These were the moments when Atlético demonstrated why they are so close to breaking up the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga. Adrián's equaliser changed the complexion of the game just before half-time and Atlético excelled in the second half. Diego Costa's penalty put Spain's champions-in-waiting in command and when Arda Turan followed in his own header to make it 3-1, Diego Simeone could be seen on his victory run.
Simeone's team had shown great powers of recovery but Mourinho will be aggrieved by the way Chelsea abandoned the qualities that have made them such obdurate opponents. It leaves him staring at the strong possibility that his first season back at the club will end without a trophy. There is clearly work to be done because, amid all the analysis of his tactics, it is worth remembering he has opted for caution only because he knows the opposition are often more refined. Atlético confirmed that by running away with the game after the interval.
Forty years since their last final, the team from Estadio Vicente Calderon might not have the gravitas of Barcelona or Real Madrid but two more wins in La Liga will confirm them as the best side in Spain. They did not always show it over the two legs, but their reaction to going behind showed, in Mourinho's words, that they are "solid, very mature, a real team". Simeone put it another way: "I would like to congratulate the mothers of these players because they have big cojones."
Costa reminded everyone why Mourinho likes the idea of bringing him to Stamford Bridge next season, and Thibaut Courtois, on loan from Chelsea, confirmed he will be a worthy successor to Petr Cech. This cannot have been an easy evening for Courtois, given all the blurring of lines, but he made some splendid saves at key moments of the game.

Chelsea had started the match with César Azpilicueta on the right of midfield and David Luiz operating just in front of defence. Their tactics, with six recognised defenders on the pitch at the same time, were predominantly based around stifling the opposition. Yet they did not neglect the fact they needed to get behind the opposition defence and their goal was classy in its creation.
Branislav Ivanovic started the move on the right but it was Willian's improvisational brilliance that really created the danger. His turn, close to the corner flag, took him away from two defenders. Azpilicueta took possession and picked out Torres for a low right-footed shot that beat Courtois after a slight deflection off Mario Suárez.
Torres celebrated the goal like a form of apology, with his palms spread as if asking for forgiveness from his former club. Yet he took the chance with the kind of clinical finish that was a throwback to his good old days in Atlético's colours, and Chelsea are usually so accomplished at defending the lead that it was unusual to see the carelessness that followed.
Ashley Cole will wince when he sees the replays of the equaliser because he made a fatal mistake in assuming John Terry was going to clear Juanfran's cutback. Terry could not adjust his feet quickly enough. Cole had switched off for a split-second and Adrián's shot was driven into the ground, bouncing off the turf to loop in.

Mourinho's first response to the equaliser came after 53 minutes when he removed Cole to bring on Eto'o. This was the signal that Chelsea would now have to start playing with greater adventure. The problem was two-fold. First, it meant leaving more space at the back for their opponents to exploit. Secondly, Chelsea's players continued to contribute to the team's downfall.
Eto'o had been on the pitch only six minutes when he and Costa went for the same ball from an Atlético corner. The challenge was clumsy in the extreme and it was a straightforward decision for the Italian referee, Nicola Rizzoli, to make. Costa was shown a yellow card because of the amount of time he took with the penalty, but he eventually put the ball past Mark Schwarzer as though immune to nerves.
A minute earlier, Courtois had kept out Terry's header with a save that Mourinho described as "impossible". Shortly after Costa's penalty, David Luiz's header came back off the post and Courtois pawed the ball away. Yet Atlético could also reflect on hitting the woodwork through Koke, the game's outstanding player, early in the match and when they did it again, after 71 minutes, Turan's header came back to him off the crossbar and he confirmed an all-Madrid final from the rebound

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 1 Atlético Madrid 3; agg 1-3

By  Henry Winter, Football Correspondent, at Stamford Bridge

Philosophies have been heavily debated during these Champions League semi-finals from passing too much to the parking of buses yet sometimes the destinies of games are defined by split-second incidents, not long-held ideas. Just before the hour here with the score 1-1, Thibaut Courtois saved from John Terry and then Samuel Eto’o brought down Diego Costa.
In the space of 180 seconds, the game spun inexorably Atlético Madrid’s way, propelling them to the May 24 final where they face Real Madrid. The momentum was probably with Atlético anyway, Adrián López having equalised Fernando Torres’ strike, but Courtois’s save to deny the captain of his owner-club was as significant as it was impressively athletic. “An impossible save,’’ Jose Mourinho called it.
Mourinho sent on Eto’o, whose first major involvement was to dive in and catch Costa, who converted the penalty himself. Courtois’s mastery was followed by the mistake of Eto’o and the die was cast. “One minute in the second half decided everything,’’ said Mourinho before adding that Atlético’s morale was strengthened immeasurably.
Atlético were in control, the belief drained from Chelsea and Arda Turan added a third within 12 minutes and it was all over bar the shouting of some fairly caustic chants about Mourinho by the visiting fans. Diego Simeone, Atlético’s young, hungry and inspirational coach, celebrated Arda’s goal with a Mourinho-style sprint down the touchline, knowing that he was heading for Lisbon and the final against Real Madrid. This will be the first time that two teams from the same city have contested a European Cup final.
Real will be favourites, inevitably so with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale flying forward, and they will be on a mission to secure La Décima, a 10th European Cup, but Atlético also have a cause, wanting to address 40 years of hurt. The last (and only) time Atlético were in the final of the European Cup, Pepe Reina’s father Miguel was in goal. Atlético lost to Bayern Munich in 1974.
Led by Simeone, the rising star in the coaching firmament, Atlético deserved this. For all the little details, ultimately Chelsea were beaten by the better side. In the end, Chelsea’s famous bus simply ran out of fuel on the road to Lisbon. They looked exhausted and Terry was in tears at the final whistle when Atlético showed their class as human beings as well as footballers, consoling the distraught Chelsea captain.
Many of the verdicts on Chelsea lacked sympathy. “This is what happens when you don’t play football,’’ tweeted Jose Enrique, the Liverpool left-back. Yet the game’s defining moments, Courtois’s save and the Eto’o error, occurred either side of Mourinho attempting to play more football.
He sent on Eto’o for Ashley Cole, an attacker for a defender. He pulled César Azpilicueta back from his ersatz right-wing role to left-back and played with two centre-forwards, Torres and Eto’o. Mourinho went for it at 1-1, releasing the hand-brake on the famous bus.
“We benefited greatly from that because they played with Torres, Eto’o and Hazard up which left us more space to control the game,’’ said Simeone. Atlético ran midfield with Tiago excelling against his former side. Mario Suárez and Koke also shone.
If the little details, the Courtois save and Eto’o mishap, ultimately shaped the tie, the broader picture was of outstanding performances by Atlético players all over the park. As well as the midfield triumvirate, the right-back Juanfran defended with discipline and attacked with gusto, creating two goals. Juanfran will need all his many qualities to stop Ronaldo in Lisbon.
Courtois will need to be on his toes. He is so good that Chelsea have a major decision to make on the Belgian this summer, whether to recall him and replace Petr Cech in goal. Cech is such an important figure in the team and the dressing-room that it would be a huge call. Yet Courtois is undeniably special. Costa could also be at the Bridge next season.
Chelsea need a new striker, although it hardly needed this game to remind them of that. Torres was up top, initially served by Eden Hazard, Willian and Azpilicueta, looking to impress against his old team and eventually scoring after 35 minutes. Branislav Ivanovic passed to Willian, who wriggled through, soon joined by Azpilicueta, who cut the ball across for Torres. His shot clipped Suarez as it sped past Courtois. Torres refused to celebrate, showing respect for his beloved Atlético. All seemed well in Mourinho’s fiefdom.
Chelsea were so close to half-time, so close to achieving the first part of their night’s mission, when Atlético equalised. Chelsea’s defence had been imperious in Madrid, and secure for 44 minutes here but then Tiago crossed from left to right, catching the defence out. Hazard failed to run back with Juanfran, who turned the ball across.
Terry’s hopes of intervening were checked by an accidental collision with Costa. Cole had been drawn inside but failed to reach the ball as it continued towards Adrian Lopez. His finish swept past Cahill on the line.
If Chelsea’s sudden defensive frailty was a surprise, so was the identity of Atlético’s goalscorer. Adrian had come in from the cold, not being used that much recently, apparently suffering a crisis of confidence, so his celebrations contained added zest. The away-goal equation and impetus were with Atlético. Simeone was out of his dug-out, occasionally out of his technical area, willing his team on. Arda’s volley was saved by Mark Schwarzer. Then Courtois made that stop of Terry’s header.
Then Eto’o made that illegal stop of Costa, sending the man who could replace him tumbling to the ground. Costa looked nervous, and placed the ball on the spot three times before he was happy, earning a caution in the process. Torres couldn’t watch, dropping to his haunches on the halfway line, his back to the action, staring instead down towards the Atlético fans in the corner of the Shed. He knew from their reaction, their noise that Costa had converted, the ball drilled past Shwarzer.
David Luiz hit a post, another detail, but the force was with Atlético, who made it 3-1 with 18 minutes remaining. Hazard again failed to track Juanfran, who lifted the ball in and Arda headed against the bar.
As the ball rebounded out, Arda was the quickest to meet it. The toes of his left foot planted in the turf, bearing his weight as his right instep steered the ball past Schwarzer. Chelsea needed three goals and it was too much, the life draining from them.
Demba Ba came on for Torres and André Schürrle for Willian as Mourinho tried to inject some life into his team, into their fading European dream, into a vainful attempt at stopping his fourth successive Champions League semi-final failure. Courtois again gave notice of his class, saving from Hazard and Eto’o.
Atlético were too sharp, too quick, too craving of the chance of facing Real. Madrid: twinned with Lisbon.
It promises to be a special occasion.

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Times:

Chelsea 1 Atlético Madrid 3 (Atlético win 3-1 on agg)

Chelsea pay the price for slip-ups and are beaten at own game by Atlético

Oliver Kay Chief Football Correspondent

This time there was no “ghost goal”, no penalty shoot-out lottery and no conspiracy — imagined or otherwise. For the first time, José Mourinho and Chelsea looked upon a Champions League semi-final defeat in the inescapable knowledge that they were outwitted and outdone by an even smarter, even more resilient team.
Quite simply, Chelsea were beaten at their own game last night. Obdurate and spirited in defence, powerful, disciplined and unstinting in midfield and clinical on the counter-attack, Atlético Madrid showed all the traits associated with a Mourinho team. That Chelsea fell short of those standards, on an evening when their famed concentration and tactical focus went missing, left even Mourinho to shrug and say “that’s football”.
It will be interesting to find out whether Mourinho was quite so forgiving behind the closed doors of the Chelsea dressing room. As impressive as their opponents were, particularly after falling behind to Fernando Torres’s 36th-minute goal, Chelsea contributed to their own downfall in a performance that was strewn with errors — in sharp contrast to those unyielding displays away to Atlético and Liverpool over the previous eight days.
Atlético also showed far more sharpness up front, where Diego Costa scored a second-half penalty against the club who wish to sign him, but that reflected an all-round attacking threat rather than simply a difference in the quality of centre forwards. Mourinho and his players, unusually in a game of this magnitude, never found the right balance, with Oscar kept on the bench throughout, apparently nursing an injury, and Eden Hazard looking as if he is too tired to traipse up and down the touchline as he did a few months ago.
Usually, Chelsea’s slip-ups this season have been attributable — or at least attributed — to the bluntness of their centre forwards. On this occasion, the much-maligned Torres had one of his more fulfilling nights at Stamford Bridge, scoring the goal that put Chelsea 1-0 up. He barely celebrated the goal, out of deference to his former club, and as a boyhood fan of Atlético, who he went on to play for and captain, the striker will know better than most what it will mean for Diego Simeone’s immensely spirited, competitive team to take on Real Madrid, their aristocratic neighbours, in the Champions League final in Lisbon on May 24.
When Torres scored, it looked as if Chelsea were heading for their second Champions League final — and their third European final — in three seasons, but that was as good as it got. A succession of mistakes allowed Adrián López to equalise just before half-time, giving Atlético the advantage on the away-goals rule, and a dreadfully mistimed challenge by Samuel Eto’o gave Costa the opportunity to put them firmly ahead from the penalty spot on the hour. Needing two more goals to avoid elimination, Chelsea looked beaten even before the excellent Arda Turan made it 3-1.
The warning signs were there for Chelsea as early as the fifth minute. That was when Koke, having seen his corner half-cleared, floated another high ball into the penalty area. This time it cleared everyone, including Mark Schwarzer, but hit the crossbar and deflected off Gary Cahill and out of play. Once Turan had dribbled through a few minutes later, only to see his shot blocked by Ashley Cole, and Cahill had been required to intervene after two mistakes — the first time with an excellent tackle, the second with a desperate lunge — it was clear that Chelsea’s defenders were in for a tough night.
Chelsea had their moments at the other end — a Willian free kick that went just over the crossbar, a David Luiz overhead kick that flew narrowly wide — before taking the lead through Torres. They produced little down their right-hand side all evening, with César Azpilicueta a fish out of water in an advanced role, but on this time, after a lovely turn by Willian, the Spaniard motored forward into the penalty area and picked out Torres, whose low shot was deflected past Thibaut Courtois by Mario Suárez.
At that point, Mourinho would have expected his team to close out the game before half-time, but instead they were careless, the equaliser stemming from Luiz’s failure to get enough on a meaty tackle on the edge of the penalty area. Costa floated the ball out to the left-hand side of the penalty area, where Turan found Tiago, who sent a cross to the far post. Hazard switched off, allowing Juanfran to get around the back and ping the ball across the six-yard box.
John Terry, after a slight nudge in the back, and Cole failed to cut out the ball, while Cahill lost track of López, who took the opportunity to put Atlético ahead on the away-goals rule.
Buoyed by that goal, Atlético went for the kill in the second half. Within two minutes of the restart, Koke’s cross was dealt with poorly by Terry and Branislav Ivanovic, only for Schwarzer to keep Chelsea in the game with an excellent save from Turan’s shot. Terry threatened at the other end, his header saved by Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper on loan from Chelsea, but mistakes were littering the home team’s play.
An out-of-sorts Hazard was lucky that another lapse was not punished by Diego, who tumbled in the penalty area when a shooting chance beckoned, but Nicola Rizzoli, the referee, could hardly reject the more serious Atlético penalty appeal that followed Eto’o’s misjudged challenge on Costa. After a lengthy delay, in which he was booked for trying to replace the turf at the penalty spot, Costa converted the kick to put Atlético in firm control.
Chelsea looked increasingly stretched and, after Luiz hit the crossbar from Willian’s free kick, Atlético’s victory looked certain.
Their third goal came on 71 minutes, when Juanfran charged forward again from right back to find space in the penalty area and pick out an opponent with a first-time cross. Turan’s header hit the crossbar, but he reacted well to convert the loose ball and secure Atlético’s progression to a European Cup final for the first time in four decades.
They had won fair and square. Even Mourinho said so.

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Mail:

Chelsea 1-3 Atletico Madrid (1-3 agg): Diego Simeone's side seal derby final in style as Diego Costa, Adrian and Arda Turan strike to knock out Jose Mourinho's Blues

By Martin Samuel

At the end, there was nothing left to do but shake hands. The best team won and Jose Mourinho knew it. He approached Diego Simeone for the standard pleasantries. There was no hunt of protest or dissent. He knows a good thing when he sees one.
Here it was. The reason why Atletico Madrid seem destined to be La Liga champions. Those that have missed their performances week in, week out in Spain may have wondered whether they can hold their lead up the final straight. The answer, on this evidence, is yes.
Atletico were hugely impressive at Stamford Bridge - not the typical Spanish team, but no less admirable for that. They combine the best of La Liga and the best of the Premier League, a high technical standard and defensive resilience.
A goal down after 36 minutes, Atletico bounced back in the manner of the best English teams, displaying self-belief and a compelling thirst for competition. They were what Chelsea hope to be, but are not yet. And then they added their own twist: flair, pace, imagination.
They will take some beating on May 24, no matter the quality of their rivals from across town. This is a very good team and it will play Real Madrid in Lisbon as equals, in what will be the first city derby to double as the championship of Europe.
There will be no sympathy for Mourinho after this, nor will he expect it. The philosophers - his term, dripping with contempt - will say he picked a team full of defenders and tried to park the bus. He didn't. He played Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of Branislav Ivanovic in an attempt to contain Koke and Arda Turan, but it only half worked.
The introduction of Samuel Eto'o for Cole, with Azpilicueta reverting to left-back, after 54 minutes was indication Chelsea had to gamble more. Eto'o promptly gave away the penalty that cost the game and that plan collapsed like a bad soufflé.
Yet this wasn't a rout, wasn't a repeat of the debacle in Munich on Tuesday night. At the time Chelsea went ahead they were having the better of the game, but Fernando Torres's goal sparked life in Madrid and they were well worth the scoreline by the end, well worth the two goal advantage over two matches. 
Could it have been different? Thibaut Courtois made a brilliant save from a John Terry header with the score tied at 1-1 and soon after Atletico scored. After that, the momentum was all with the visitors.
A header from David Luiz hit the bar in the 64th minute, but that would only have made the scoreline 2-2, which would still have sent Atletico through on away goals. There was never the sense that Chelsea could spring one of their mighty fightbacks here. Atletico are too smart for that.
So no wonder Mourinho prefers defenders. Too unreliable, strikers. Never know what they are going to do next. Win you the game some days, lose you it on others. And what a pair Mourinho had here. There was Torres, who scored against his old club and refused to celebrate, and Eto'o, who came on with the score tied 1-1, made one tackle and lost the game.
That was the pivotal moment, no doubt about it. Introduced by Mourinho to nab the winner, Eto'o did the opposite. He had been on the field five minutes when he made what is euphemistically described as a striker's challenge. A calamity would be another word for it.
He charged in on Diego Costa, who wasn't even in a particularly threatening position, missed the ball, missed the feint, got the player and cost the game. Until that point, Chelsea were a goal away. After it, an ocean separated them from their objective.
Nicola Rizzoli, the referee, did not flinch, despite the massed ranks of blue behind Mark Schwarzer's goal. He pointed to the spot, rightly, and Costa prepared for a moment of destiny. At first, he wasn't happy. There was a divot on the spot. He replaced the ball. And again. Rizzoli took a dim view. Out came the yellow card.
Focussed now, Costa stepped back and smashed his shot into the roof of the net. Will Chelsea benefit from such a cool head next season? It is hard to see why he would want to switch clubs after this, money aside.
Now forced to chase two goals Chelsea were open and, by the end, the margin of victory was significant. As Chelsea flooded the Madrid half with bodies, Diego Simeone's team struck back. Chelsea were playing to Atletico's counter-attacking strengths now and after 72 minutes, the contest was finally over.
A cross from the right and Turan planted a header against the bar. First to react, with Schwarzer still recovering, he tapped the ball into an unprotected net. Simeone, sensing an unassailable lead - Chelsea now needed to score three in 18 minutes against his famously miserly defence - he set off on a little dash down the touchline. Very Mourinho like. He has done a quite brilliant job at his club.
Chelsea's fear here was an exit on away goals but after 36 minutes it appeared to have been assuaged. Ivanovic found Willian on the right and his brilliant turn took out two Madrid men in one swoop. Azpilicueta picked the play up from there and his low cross was met perfectly by Torres, with a first-time shot that clipped Mario Suarez on its way to goal.
He didn't celebrate in deference to his former club, the one he has supported all his life, but the rest of Stamford Bridge did. All they had to do was keep a clean sheet from here and Chelsea would be in the Champions League final. Contrary to what those philosophers think, that isn't as simple as it looks against the best team in Spain. And so it proved.
Within minutes a glancing header by Adrian Lopez tested Schwarzer, but Atletico's next attack was deadly. It appeared to have come straight off the training field and, for once, Chelsea's well drilled back line was found wanting. Tiago struck a deep ball to the right side of goal which alighted on Juanfran, but not Cole.
The left-back had, for whatever reason, been sucked towards the middle. He couldn't stop the cut back pass, neither could Terry, and Adrian scuffed it into the net. The Atletico Madrid bench went wild. They were on familiar ground from here.
And full credit to them for the way they took on that challenge in the second-half. They were not content to eke out a draw, they did not just sit back and hope to wind down the clock. The best teams mix it up, and Atletico did that magnificently.
Determined, effective, yet also highly ambitious, they took what Mourinho does and upped it a grade. In doing so, they set the standard for Mourinho and his players next season. Atletico were the thinking man's Chelsea. And that is intended as a compliment.

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Mirror:

Chelsea 1-3 Atletico Madrid: Blues can have no arguments and no excuses
  
By John Cross
 
Chelsea had no answer for Atleti's pace on the attack this time around, looking slow and out of sorts

No arguments, no excuses, simply beaten.
Even the Special One is not infallible. Even Jose Mourinho gets it wrong sometimes.
And when you err against a seriously good team, make mistakes at crucial times, when, in the final analysis, you are not quite good enough, defeat comes calling.
Last night, to the disbelief of Stamford Bridge, Mourinho was mastered by the new gunslinger on the block, Diego Simeone ensuring the Dream Final - for Madrilenos.
For Mourinho, more semi-final heartache. Now eight times in the last four, three with his beloved Blues.
But only twice has Mourinho progressed, when he went on the lift the trophy with Porto and Inter.
Four straight defeats at the stage, too. This one, perhaps, the most painful.
Mourinho may have frustrated Atletico with his defensive blanket last week, twisted the knife in Liverpool's guts at Anfield.
Yet if you select a team with six natural defenders, in a system designed to muddle the opposition, and discover they are more clear-headed than your own team, the outcome is perhaps inevitable.
Suddenly, Mourinho has suffered back to back home defeats for the first time in his Chelsea reign, his heaviest loss at the Bridge, conceding three here for only the second time in 116 matches in that dug-out.
Never has Mourinho been forced to watch his side picked apart, punished, in such a manner either, a team that never got to grips with its own shape and lost its way completely when he tried to make amends.
Poor defending, right-back Juanfran stealing in to set up the equaliser by Adrian Lopez that cancelled out Fernando Torres' opener and then the one that ended all hope, Arda Turan playing a one-two off the bar to slot home.
And the irony, of course, that the truly fatal blow, the one that sucked the life out of Chelsea, was struck by the man likely to be leading the Blues line next term.
Chelsea will pay whatever it takes to land Diego Costa as the "real striker" whose absence Mourinho has bewailed all season.
And while the Brazilian-born adopted Spaniard has not convinced totally over the past nine days, when it mattered he thrashed home from the spot after Samuel Eto'o's calamitous misjudgment sent him tumbling.
Of course, there were other grievances and gripes. Mourinho remains furious that UEFA intervened to ensure Thibaut Courtois who joined the post-match celebrations with a fervour that suggested his loyalties are not yet Blue was allowed to play.
That anger will doubtless have intensified after the on-loan Belgian made the save of the match to keep out John Terry's fierce header with the scores level and the tie still in the balance straight after the interval.
In truth, though, Mourinho made a rare blunder with a selection that signalled his concern about Simeone's side, suggested a lack of faith in his own.
While Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta were both involved in Torres' goal - most of the credit should go to Willian - they were an unnatural right-sided pairing, making Chelsea appear unbalanced.
And with Eden Hazard awful, missing the certainty normally offered by Petr Cech, Chelsea were wobbly in the department where they are normally so strong.
Mark Schwarzer had a lucky early escape, all over the place as Koke's cross-shot floated over him, back off the bar against Gary Cahill and onto the roof of the net.
David Luiz was narrowly wide before Torres profited from Willian's turn out of a cul-de-sac and Azpilicueta's pull-back to turn home via a deflection.
But a minute before the break, the pivotal moment as Chelsea were undone.
Former Blues midfielder Tiago hit to the back-post, Juanfran stole in behind the day-dreaming Hazard and when neither Terry nor Ashley Cole made contact, Adrian bounced home from six yards.
Chelsea had to score the next goal. Courtois denied them and when Mourinho sent on Eto'o for Cole, his first touch sent them over the cliff.
The penalty was a stone-waller, Costa too quick for the veteran striker and while he was booked for preparing the spot, he smashed home.
Luiz' header came back off the post and Courtois but when Juanfran got in round the back again and Arda eventually nudged into the net, Chelsea were shot.
So close to everything. Now, seemingly destined to finish with nothing. It will hurt Mourinho. Bitter defeat. A specialist in semi-final failure?

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Express:

Chelsea 1 - Atletico Madrid 3 (1-3 agg): Blues' ardour is dampened by Turan
CHELSEA’S dreams in the Champions League were shattered after they were taught a football lesson by ruthless Atletico.

By: Tony Banks

Jose Mourinho’s team were out-thought, outfought and simply outshot by Diego Simeone’s razor-sharp La Liga leaders.
Fernando Torres did not celebrate when he gave Chelsea a first-half lead against his old club. In the end he had nothing to smile about.
Adrian Lopez levelled as Chelsea were caught out at the back. Diego Costa gave Atletico the lead with a penalty and Arda Turan wrapped things up to set up an all-Madrid final against bitter rivals Real. The Special One had been outwitted.
Mourinho sprang a surprise once again with his selection as Cesar Azpilicueta was drafted into midfield to provide more strength on the right, with Frank Lampard banned.
As expected, back into the side came skipper John Terry, initially ruled out after the first leg, having shrugged off his foot problem. Up front, 17-goal Eden Hazard returned after three weeks out.
The goalless draw in Madrid a week ago was achieved with a grim backs-to-the-wall defensive performance, as was the win at Liverpool on Sunday, but last night offered the opportunity to attack. Atletico coach Diego Simeone said he had no problem with Mourinho’s approach. His team went into last night’s semi-final unbeaten in the competition this season in 11 matches, and two wins away from their first La Liga title since 1996.
And in Diego Costa they had a 35-goal striker, shackled in the first leg, who was surely not going to fail again against the club who believe he will be theirs next season.
It was Atletico who almost drew first blood in a frenzied atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, as Koke’s inswinging cross from the right deceived stand-in keeper Mark Schwarzer but bounced back off the bar and post. It was a major escape.
Chelsea settled as Willian stroked a free-kick just over the bar but Atletico were, as ever, venomous on the break. First Ashley Cole dived in to block from Costa as the striker shaped to shoot, and then Gary Cahill provided the saving tackle.
David Luiz was then only an inch away with an improvised overhead kick. Torres, with several mazy, determined runs, looked up for it against his first club.
And he showed it nine minutes before half-time. Ivanovic’s ball freed Willian, who held off two defenders before finding Azpilicueta. His cross was low and accurate, and Torres buried his shot via a deflection off Mario Suarez.
Adrian then saw his flicked header saved but Atletico were not behind for long. Tiago’s long ball caught out Eden Hazard at the back post as Juanfran sneaked in to pull the ball back. Cole and Terry both missed it, and Lopez did not fail a second time, bobbling his shot into the net.
Atletico smelled blood. Koke crossed from the right, once again everyone missed it, and when Arda Turan fired in his shot at the far post, Schwarzer saved brilliantly. Then the Australian got down to save Tiago’s low shot.
The tie was balanced on a knife-edge. Terry threw himself forward to connect with Willian’s free-kick. He headed the ball down but Thibaut Courtois, a Chelsea player out on loan of course, made a fine save.
Mourinho threw on Samuel Eto’o but his first contribution was disastrous. Costa picked up Turan’s cross from the right but he was heading away from goal when Eto’o made a foolish lunge and brought him down.
Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli gave the penalty and then booked Costa for taking an age to take it. It did not faze Costa, who stepped up to ram his side ahead for the first time in the tie.
On came Demba Ba for Torres, who had worked his heart out, as Mourinho played the last of his cards. It was Ba who had scored the late, late winner against Paris Saint- Germain in the quarter-finals when the Chelsea manager had thrown all three strikers on in a desperate but successful ploy. It did not work this time.
Some had said Atletico, with their high tempo pressing game, would fade. They were wrong. Once again Chelsea were caught out down their left flank. This time the lurking Juanfran headed across goal.
Turan’s first, powerful, header was well saved by Schwarzer, but he could only paw the ball on to the bar and Turan stabbed the rebound home.
Simeone set off on a run of celebration – Mourinho-like – down the touchline.
As the minutes ticked away, Hazard, who was quiet on his return from injury, sped into the area but with only the keeper to beat his shot was well blocked by Courtois.
Hazard forced another save from his Belgium team-mate and there was still time for Schwarzer to save well from Filipe Luis but Atletico’s work was done.

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Star:

Chelsea 1 - Atletico Madrid 3 (Agg: 1-3) AtletiKO! Spainful for Blues as they exit Europe

IT WAS a night full of ironies for Chelsea as the man they want and the keeper they let go wrecked their Champions League dream.


By David Woods

Striker Diego Costa, their No.1 summer striker target, scored the key second goal to take all the colour out of the Blues.
And their keeper Thibault Courtois - on loan at Atletico for three seasons - played a huge role in helping his team set up a final showdown with bitter rivals Real Madrid.
There were a couple of other Atletico connections too with Fernando Torres - who made his name at the club - giving Chelsea the lead and hope of getting boss Jose Mourinho the final with a third club, having won the competition with Porto and Inter.
But Diego Simeone's La Liga champions-elect soon hit back with a goal created by Tiago, the Portuguese star who spent the 2004-5 season with the Stamford Bridge outfit.
It was scored by Adrian Lopez, who, like the man who grabbed the third - Arda Turan - at least has no obvious connection with Stamford Bridge.
This was not quite the same pain from Spain as inflicted by Real Madrid on holders Bayern Munich 24 hours earlier, with ex-Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti orchestrating a 4-0 triumph and 5-0 aggregate win.
But it was not far off it, being Mourinho's worst home defeat in his two spells at the club.
He had complained at the weekend, when his men won 2-0 at Liverpool, of having a bug.
After this humbling he must have been sick as a parrot, and now needs some freakish results to earn the comfort of the Premier League title.
Amazingly, after two superb displays of defensive resilience, with the Anfield shutout coming five days after the goalless draw in Madrid, Chelsea's backline were poor.
All three Atletico goals featured out-of-character mistakes, the first from more than one player.
It looked so positive early on with skipper John Terry making an amazing return from his ankle injury picked up in the first leg, then Torres actually managing to score.
Torres picked up the the nickname 'El Nino' - The Kid - with Atletico, but has been more like 'El Nilo' of late, with no goals for over two months.
After nervy start for Chelsea - Koke almost caught out Mark Schwarzer with a floating inswinger which clipped the top of the bar - they went ahead in the 36th minute.
Willian looked stuck in a hole on the wing but somehow wriggled the ball between two Atletico players for Cesar Azpilicueta - surprisingly picked to play wide right in midfield - to dash onto.
He drilled over low to his fellow Spaniard, whose first-time shot came off Mario Suarez to fool Courtois.
But Atletico responded in the 44th minute. Tiago sent over a deep cross and the unmarked Juanfran reached it at the far post to cut back.
Terry and Ashely Cole both played and missed and Adrian bundled in, with the ball hitting the ground and evading Gary Cahill.
Mourinho had an intense discussion with Italian ref Nicola Rizzoli in the tunnel as the teams came out for the second half.
But his normally-sharp defence looked blunt straight away when Koke sent an innocuous ball into the box and it reached Turan at the far post, who forced Schwarzer into a point-blank save.
In the 52nd minute Courtois got down superbly to his left to keep out Terry's firm header from a Willian free-kick.
Simeone was furious when the ref refused to give a spot-kick when Turan tumbled after Azpilicueta touched his arm in the box in the 55th minute.
But he did award a penalty as substitute Samuel Eto'o showed he was no defender lunging in just near the edge of the box to catch Costa.
The Brazil-born star, who now plays for Spain, was bizarrely booked for taking his time to shoot, but did drill his kick high into the net in the 60th minute.
Luiz headed a Willian corner onto the bar in the 64th minute with the rock-solid Courtois reacting brilliantly to tip the loose ball over.
Turan hit the Blues even harder in the 71st minute following up after his header from a superb Juanfruan cross hit the bar.
Azpilicueta, now back to his regular left-back position, allowed his man too much space and nobody tracked the Turkish scorer's run into the box.
After the final whistle, Tiago consoled a stunned and distressed ex-team-mate Terry, who must now be thinking he is destined never to play in the final and win.