Atletico Madrid mocked Barcelona and teenage forward Lamine Yamal on social media after knocking the Catalan club out of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.

Despite Barcelona securing a 2–1 away victory in the second leg, Atletico progressed to the semifinals on aggregate after protecting the advantage they built earlier in the tie.

The knockout contest proved tense for Diego Simeone’s side. Having taken control with a 2–0 lead in the first leg at Camp Nou, Atletico had to withstand sustained pressure from Hansi Flick’s Barcelona team before sealing qualification.

With the result, Atletico manager Diego Simeone became the first coach to eliminate Barcelona from the Champions League on three separate occasions, following earlier quarterfinal victories in 2014 and 2016.

After the match, Atletico’s official X (formerly Twitter) account posted a viral meme showing a lion approaching a film crew before being revealed as harmless, a clip widely interpreted as a playful jab at Barcelona’s perceived threat in the tie.

The post quickly circulated among supporters, with many seeing it as a symbolic response to Barcelona’s early dominance that ultimately failed to overturn the aggregate deficit.

Atletico will now await confirmation of their semifinal opponent, with Arsenal holding a narrow advantage in their quarterfinal tie against Sporting CP.

Should Simeone’s side advance further, they could face Paris Saint-Germain or the winner of the clash between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in a potential final.