There were 22 minutes left when Julian Brandt ran through again, one on one with Jan Oblak. The shot went slightly to his left but Atlético Madrid’s goalkeeper stopped it. The ball ran free to Kevin Volland but Oblak stopped it again, full stretch now, only for it to run free to Kevin Volland for a second time.

Eight yards out, he hit towards goal but, somehow, Oblak was there again, scrambling to his feet and flying across, his third save more astonishing than the previous two. Again it dropped and this time Javier Hernández shot wide. The Calderón erupted and burst into song: “Obi, Oblak, every day I love you more.”

Monaco’s Tiemoué Bakayoko condemns Manchester City to away-goal defeat Read more

Oblak had saved three shots, but despite the delighted reaction he had not actually saved his side – although this was the stellar moment at the Vicente Calderón, an extraordinary moment in a relatively ordinary if unexpectedly entertaining night, and he would make another impressive stop with 10 minutes to go, making it seven in total. They had not been at their best but he had not needed to save them; Atlético are into the Champions League quarter-finals for the fourth year in a row after a 4-2 aggregate victory against Bayer Leverkusen, all six goals coming in the first leg three weeks ago.

There were moments but there would be no drama. Nor, to the disappointment of Atlético supporters, would there be a return for Fernando Torres. If there was satisfaction at getting through there was a touch of sadness there; they had expected to see their idol. They had pleaded for it in fact.

The lead earned in Germany had been sufficiently secure for Felipe Luís and Gabi Fernández to seek late yellow cards that meant they were suspended here and cleared for the quarter-final. Kevin Gameiro was also absent, but Torres returned to the bench for the first time since he was taken to hospital with a head injury at Deportivo. He had been unconscious for two minutes, Gabi Fernández and Sime Vrsaljko reacting rapidly to clear his airway. When he came out to warm up at the start of the second half there was a huge roar, his name ringing round.

Bayer might have scored here but they had always known it was unlikely they would be given a chance to turn this round. While Barcelona’s example was held up as a source of hope, their coach, Tayfun, insisted this was different. He was different, for a start; he had replaced the sacked Roger Schmidt after that defeat. And if the scoreline was bad enough for the Germans, they were without players, a hole left in the middle of a defence that had not exactly impressed in Leverkusen.

Benjamin Henrichs was suspended, Jonathan Tah, Omer Torpack, and Stefan Kiessling were injured, and Kai Havertz, 17, had exams the following day. “He’s missed a lot of school and he can’t miss this,” Tayfun said. In goal Bernd Leno was wearing a mask and he had made two superb saves late in the first half, a minute apart – first from Angel Correa and then from Koke.

If that makes it sound like Atlético dominated, they did not. The first genuine opportunity came with the first prolonged spell of possession for a team unable to keep the ball until then, disengaged from a game that did not feel entirely real: 37 minutes had gone when Antoine Griezmann provided the last of a dozen passes. Running through, Correa hit low to Leno’s left but he reached it, just as he reached Koke’s low 20-yard effort immediately afterwards. That was Koke’s second shot – the first had not just cleared the net, it had cleared the net behind the net too.

Bayer had enjoyed the better chances before then and seemed to be enjoying the game, which was reasonably open even if the tie was not. Volland had hit narrowly wide in the opening five minutes and his team found themselves inside the Atlético area again. Hernández shot over and so did Kevin Kampl. On the touchline Simeone was not nervous exactly – the scoreline ensured that and this was no storm they had to weather – but he was irritated, arms slapping down at his sides.

Atlético’s response drew chants from the stands for the first time and the second half started differently, even if they were almost caught on the counter. Correa neatly cut inside twice only to shoot wide and then Griezmann chipped a shot just past the post. At the other end Vrsaljko had to block from Volland. And then came Oblak’s moment. They thought Torres’s would come too, chanting “Cholo, bring him on”, but he didn’t. There will be other nights, Atlético are through.