Partey's influence unable to guide Atletico past Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League semi-final

Published on: 10 May 2017

Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey came on as a 56th-minute substitute as Atletico Madrid mounted a failed bid to overturn a 4-2 aggregate loss to city rivals Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Atletico won the clash 2-1 at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday but were unable to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg.

Partey came-on replaced defender Jose Gimenez with the score at 2-1.

Defending champions Real Madrid held off a spirited Atletico Madrid to set up a meeting with Juventus in next month's Champions League final in Cardiff.

Atletico, trailing 3-0 from the first leg, stormed into an early 2-0 lead on the night through Saul Niguez's header and Antoine Griezmann's cheeky penalty.

But Real grabbed a vital away goal when Isco smashed in a rebound after Toni Kroos' fierce shot was saved.

It checked Atletico's momentum and left them needing three more goals to reach a third Champions League final in four seasons.

Chances were scarcer for both teams after the break, although home substitute Kevin Gameiro missed two presentable chances to give Atletico a glimmer of hope.

Ultimately, the damage from the first leg was irreversible as Real beat their neighbours in the competition for the fourth successive season.

Zinedine Zidane's team, attempting to become the first team to win the Champions League twice in a row, will meet Juventus at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, 3 June.

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