Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid. They will face Arsenal in the last eight, keeping alive their hopes of a record-extending 16th Champions League triumph.

The match was finely poised after Atletico’s Conor Gallagher scored just 27 seconds into the game, leveling the tie on aggregate following Real Madrid’s 2-1 first-leg victory. Neither side could find a breakthrough in extra time, forcing a tense penalty shootout to decide the contest.

One of the defining moments of the shootout came when former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez had his penalty ruled out. Alvarez slipped as he took the spot-kick, but the ball found the net. However, after review by the video assistant referee (VAR), it was determined that he had made contact with the ball twice, leading to the goal being disallowed.

Fede Valverde then converted his penalty to give Real Madrid a 3-1 lead. Although Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved Lucas Vazquez’s spot-kick to provide a glimmer of hope for his team, Marcos Llorente struck the bar with his effort. Antonio Rudiger stepped up to seal the win, squeezing home the decisive penalty to give Real a 4-2 victory in the shootout.

The result was a bitter blow for Atletico, who had delivered a superb defensive performance, limiting Real Madrid to few clear-cut opportunities. Gallagher’s early goal made history as he became the first Englishman to score in a Madrid derby, capping off a lightning-fast Atletico attack down the right.

Despite Atletico’s resolute defending, Real Madrid pressed forward. The lively Alvarez was denied three times by Thibaut Courtois, while French forward Kylian Mbappe, who had been kept quiet for most of the match, won a penalty after being fouled by Clement Lenglet. However, Vinicius Jr, who had previously scored all seven of his penalties for Real, blasted his effort over the bar with 20 minutes remaining.

The fierce derby remained deadlocked until the penalty shootout, where Real Madrid once again triumphed over their rivals, maintaining their perfect record against Atletico in Champions League penalty deciders. Having beaten Atletico in the 2014 and 2016 finals, Real now march on in their quest for European glory.