After defeating Dortmund, Real Madrid smoothly advanced to the Champions League semifinals, where they would face their old rivals from last season, Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga side had crushed Manchester United 3–1 at home, advancing with a 4–2 aggregate victory.
In the other half of the bracket, Atletico Madrid secured a 1–0 home victory over Barcelona with Koke's goal in the fifth minute, advancing to the semifinals with a 2–1 aggregate win.
The star-studded, dreamlike Barcelona had suffered a humiliating defeat before Atletico Madrid's ironclad defense. After the match, this sparked extensive discussion among media outlets and fans across the world. Everyone was analyzing the same question: What exactly was wrong with Barcelona this season? Why had a squad with such overwhelming strength kept suffering defeat after defeat?
Because of this loss, Martino had essentially been sentenced to dismissal.
Mundo Deportivo even declared that, even if Martino's team won the Copa del Rey Final that followed, he would still be dismissed at the end of the season. Bartomeu had already begun searching for Barcelona's Head Coach for the new season.
Chelsea, meanwhile, had beaten Paris Saint-Germain 2–0 at home. Thanks to their slim advantage in away goals, the Blues eliminated Paris Saint-Germain with a 3–3 aggregate score and advanced to the semifinals, where they would face Atletico Madrid.
Thus, the semifinals were set: Real Madrid against Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid against Chelsea.
This left everyone at Real Madrid astonished. Before the season began, Ancelotti had said that Atletico Madrid possessed the strength to reach the Champions League semifinals, or even the final. As it turned out, Simeone's Mattress Makers had truly stormed into the final four.
After learning that they would face Real Madrid in the semifinals, everyone at Bayern Munich became extremely excited. They had already stopped Real