MADRID — Antoine Griezmann made the most of his final home match with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Griezmann didn’t score despite having a few good opportunities, but he led Atletico’s attack along with Julián Alvarez and was named the game’s most valuable player following the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the first leg of the semifinals. The second leg is Tuesday in London.
The semifinal winner will advance to face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final May 30 in Budapest, Hungary.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t find the net,” said Griezmann, who is joining Orlando City SC this summer. “But it will happen in the second leg for sure. We all put in a great effort.”
Griezmann’s best chance at the Metropolitano stadium was a second-half shot that hit the crossbar. He also came close with a strike from inside the area.
The 35-year-old Griezmann missed a penalty kick in the 2016 Champions League final that Atletico lost to Real Madrid.
“We want to reach the final,” Griezmann said. “It’s my dream. I’ve prepared a lot for this match and the one we will have in London, and hopefully we can make it to the final.”
The French playmaker said Atletico deserved a better result after improving in the second half at the Metropolitano.
“The bad minutes we played in the first half hurt a bit,” Griezmann said. “We fixed a couple of things tactically for the second half and we were able to pressure better and move better. The fans kept pushing and it also helped.”
Griezmann is Atletico’s all-time leading scorer but his minutes have been managed by coach Diego Simeone this season. He’s spent 10 seasons with Atletico, with 494 appearances and 212 goals. He also played for Real Sociedad and Barcelona.
“We all want to make it to the final,” Atletico midfielder Koke Resurreccion said, “and hopefully the game in London won’t be the last one for Griezmann in this competition.”