Madrid: Atletico Madrid sealed an historic triumph over Barcelona on Wednesday as they progressed to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 40 years with a 2-1 aggregate victory over the four-time European champions.

Here, AFP sports looks at how Diego Simeone's men overcame the Catalans.



1. Solid defence
Atletico's organisation and defensive resolve has been the bedrock of the club's revival since Simeone took charge two-and-a-half years ago. They have conceded just five times in 10 Champions League games on their return to the competition for the first time in four years and, even more impressively, just twice in five encounters with Barcelona this season.