Real survive early Atletico onslaught to reach final

Reuters: Real Madrid survived an early Atletico Madrid onslaught to reach the Champions League final 4-2 on aggregate on Wednesday and set up a mouth-watering clash against Juventus.

Atletico roared into a two-goal lead in the semi-final second leg with a Saul Niguez header and Antoine Griezmann’s penalty, but Isco notched in the 42nd minute for Real who saw out the game calmly to lose 2-1 on the night and ease into the final.

Real, who won the first leg at home 3-0, have now eliminated Atletico from the competition in four consecutive seasons, including the 2014 and 2016 finals.

Zinedine Zidane’s side can become the first team to retain the Champions League title when they face his former club Juventus in the final in Cardiff on June 3.

“It’s special, for sure, (Juventus) gave me everything,” Zidane told reporters. “But I’m with Real Madrid, another club of my life. It will be a beautiful final.”

Atletico’s final European game at the Vicente Calderon before they move stadiums will be remembered for the fantastic atmosphere the supporters created as they tried to help their team overcome their arch-rivals. But Simeone’s men could not break their European curse against Real.