Bayern Munich vs. Atletico Madrid: 2016 Champions League Leg 2 Score, Reaction

Atletico Madrid reached the final of the UEFA Champions League by seeing off Bayern Munich in an action-packed second semi-final leg on Tuesday night at the Allianz Arena. The Spaniards lost, 2-1, but progressed via their away goal following a 2-2 aggregate score.

Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso broke the deadlock with a free-kick for the hosts, who overwhelmingly controlled possession in the opening stages.

Bayern spurned a number of chances to further their lead—including a missed penalty by Thomas Muller—as Atleti appeared well off the pace, and it proved costly as Antoine Griezmann scored a stunning away goal in the second half. Robert Lewandowski made it 2-1 late in the match, but it was too little, too late for the home side.

LUKAS BARTH/Getty Images

Griezmann's strike came against the run of play but was enough for the Rojiblancos, though Fernando Torres missed a late penalty that would have sealed the victory.

Munich manager Pep Guardiola restored Muller to his starting XI after omitting the German superstar in the first leg.

Diego Godin returned for Atleti after missing the first leg at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, and Stefan Savic dropped to the bench. The Uruguayan defender was the only change to manager Diego Simeone's team, which beat Der FCB, 1-0, in Madrid.

Bayern were in control from the earliest moments in a pulsating first half.

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The hosts went close to scoring through both Lewandowski and Muller, but the strikers were short to the task in hand.

Alonso gave the Bundesliga champions the lead on 31 minutes, punishing Atleti with a low free-kick that deflected past goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Football writer Dermot Corrigan called the action as Bayern levelled the scores on aggregate:

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The hosts continued to press and push as Atleti sank further back, and they had a prime opportunity to double their lead as Jose Gimenez was punished for wrestling Javi Martinez to the floor in the box on a corner.

The referee immediately recognised the infringement and showed the defender a yellow card while rewarding a penalty.

Bleacher Report's Laura Greene couldn't believe the Uruguyan's decision-making:

"

What the hell was Gimenez thinking?

— Laura Greene (@Greene_L) May 3, 2016"

Muller stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Oblak denied him with a brilliant save.

TalkSport shared media of the best action from the first half:

WhoScored.com shared vital stats and player ratings at the break:

BT Sport's Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves lauded the German team during half-time and predicted a gloomy second half for Atletico:

Bayern were immediately back on the front foot in the second half, attacking the Spanish team with intent and vigour.

Simeone's side began to suffocate as Bayern turned the screw, and the Bavarians appeared to have one foot in the final.

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The Allianz Arena, however, was stunned into silence on 54 minutes after a classic smash-and-grab by the visitors on an irresistible counter-attack.

Griezmann sprinted clear of the Bayern defence as he broke the offside trap, and the Frenchman calmly slotted past Manuel Neuer for a vital away goal.

Squawka Football highlighted the striker's tally after his perfectly timed run:

The German crowd were clearly stunned, and the noise evaporated as the game moved into the last 30 minutes.

Bayern seemingly began to tire as the game entered the final 20 minutes, and Simeone marched around his technical area like a man possessed.

The Spaniards sat back as they soaked up pressure and were punished in the 74th minute as Lewandowski headed home from close range on an assist from Chilean superstar Arturo Vidal.

WhoScored.com noted the Pole's lifeline, which made it 2-2 on aggregate:

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The goal fired the home supporters back into song, and Der FCB looked revitalised.

The drama continued late into the match as Torres had his penalty saved by Neuer in the 84th minute after a foul on Martinez. Television replays showed the infringement came outside the box, but the striker couldn't convert the gift.

Atletico, however, had staged an amazing comeback while seeing little of the ball, and Griezmann proved the difference as Bayern limped out of the competition.

Post-Match Reaction

The result meant Guardiola's time with Bayern ended in failure, but the coach said he was proud of his endeavours with the German champions, per Ed Malyon of the Mirror:

"

Pep: Of course i’m sad but at the same time I’m also very proud. My ideas are to attack and to play like we did. But we didn’t quite make it

— Ed Malyon (@eaamalyon) May 3, 2016"

"We feel a little bit cheated," Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said, via Goal.com. "The Atletico goal was offside, the foul for the penalty [which Atletico missed] was outside of the box."

Atletico advanced to the final at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, where they will meet either Real Madrid or Manchester City, who finish their semi-final tie on Wednesday.