Diego Simeone warned Atletico Madrid's Champions League quarter-final tie against Barcelona was far from over after watching his side claim a dramatic 2-0 victory at Camp Nou. 

Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth scored as Atleti earned a huge win over their domestic rivals, the former whipping a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner after Pau Cubarsi was sent off, and the latter finishing off a sweeping second-half move after coming off the bench.

Barca dominated for long periods even after being reduced to 10 men late in the first half, ultimately outshooting Atleti by 18 to five and mustering 1.21 expected goals (xG) to the visitors' 0.45.

Atleti are now in the driving seat to reach the semi-finals, though, with Barca having never previously progressed from a two-legged Champions League tie after losing the first game at home (in three attempts).

But Simeone remains wary, particularly given his team's recent history against the Blaugrana.

Atleti edged out Barca in the Copa del Rey semi-finals earlier this season, but after winning the first leg 4-0, they went 3-0 down in the return fixture and had to weather wave after wave of pressure.

"No, we are not in the semis," Simeone told reporters. "We have the humility to say that they are very good, but we have all the commitment to continue in this competition.

"I like to prepare with an advantage, to be honest! It is a matter of common sense. After the 4-0, we already saw how well they responded at home. 

"We imagine a difficult, complex match. We look at who we have ahead of us, and we know what we have to do to go through."

Barcelona 0-2 Atlético Madrid

Barcelona are facing the prospect of a UEFA Champions League quarter-final exit following Wednesday’s 2-0 home defeat to Atlético Madrid. pic.twitter.com/1Bmcto9DQk

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) April 8, 2026

Barca's head coach Hansi Flick criticised the officials after the match, saying Atleti's Marc Pubill should have been shown a second yellow card and conceded a penalty following a bizarre incident in which he did not realise Juan Musso had already taken a goal-kick, putting his hand on the ball to take the kick himself. 

But Simeone disagreed, saying: "There has to be common sense. Did Marc receive a supposed pass to start the play? The referee interpreted it the same as Marc."

Remarkably, Wednesday's victory was Atleti's first at Camp Nou under Simeone, with their previous win at the venue coming under Pepe Murcia in February 2006, having failed to win in 25 visits in the intervening period (D8 L17).

But Simeone, who had beaten Barca in Montjuic while Camp Nou was being renovated, played down the significance of that landmark. 

"It wasn't just me, there are few coaches who have not won here," he said. "We were forceful and I'm happy with the effort of the players. 

"We changed many players in these years; it is not easy for them to adapt to what this club means. From a place of humility, we know we will have a difficult game at home."