The hosts shot out to a 2-0 lead after 18 minutes but Isco's goal before the break sealed the tie
Despite a fast start in the final European game at the Vicente Calderon, Atletico Madrid were unable to upset the odds and overturn Real Madrid's 3-0 first leg advantage in their Champions League semi-final.
Diego Simeone's side were out of the blocks immediately as Saul Niguez headed the hosts in front after 12 minutes with Antoine Griezmann doubling their lead on the night from the penalty spot after just 16 minutes.
But just as the raucous home fans began to believe, Isco netted for Real three minutes before the break, meaning Atletico again needed three goals to progress.
And those goals never came, as Real were able to keep out their cross-town rivals after the break and book their place in next month's final against Juventus.
Kieran Canning was at the Calderon to dish out his player ratings...
Atletico Madrid
Oblak 8 - Two sensational first-half saves, albeit the second from Kroos was to no avail as Isco tapped home rebound
Gimenez 7 - Gave everything for an hour after rushing back from injury
Godin 7 - Atletico's rock left his mark on Ronaldo more than once
Savic 7 - Unlucky to see early booking, but coped with Real's counter-attacks after the break
Filipe Luis 7 - Didn't have the sensational performance Atletico would have needed to turn the tie around but did expose Danilo
Gabi 8 - A true captain's display. Led by example in the middle of the park
Koke 7 - Instrumental in Atletico's fast start and provided assist for Saul's opener
Saul 8 - Increasingly the man for the big occasion after goals against Leicester in the quarters and last year's semi-final stunner when Bayern visited the Calderon
Carrasco 8 - Understandably tired after frantic start, but a constant threat
Griezmann 7 - Ended his penalty jinx against Navas but couldn't get the goal from open play Atletico needed to blow the tie open
Torres 7 - Did well to win the penalty but never threatened to score himself
Real Madrid
Navas 7 - Should probably have saved Griezmann's penalty but made a string of other saves to ensure Atletico's comeback fell short
Danilo 5 - Surprise selection, booked inside five minutes and never looked comfortable
Ramos 6 - Even he was rattled early on, but grew in confidence as the game wore on
Varane 6 - Naive challenge on Torres gave away the penalty
Marcelo 5 - Curtailed for once as an attacking threat and roasted by Carrasco early on
Casemiro 6 - Nearly got an early away goal and somehow escaped with being booked as yellow cards 10 a penny
Modric 7- One of the few Real players to keep his head in the first 45 minutes with some exceptional touches
Kroos 7 - Vital in the build-up to the away goal and starting to dictate play after the break
Isco 8 - The visitors' best player by a distance and not just for the goal
Benzema 7 - One moment of exceptional skill to set up Isco's strike but offered little else and once again failed to score against Atletico
Ronaldo 6 - Not his night but after eight goals in three Champions League games it can be forgiven.
After being teased by the football gods that a miraculous comeback might just be possible, Atletico Madrid once again had their dreams snatched away as their eternal nemesis Real Madrid grabbed the away goal they needed to advance into their third Champions League final in four seasons.
The previous two finals, of course, resulted in nail-biting victories over Atletico, who must be wondering what they have to do in order to claim European football’s biggest prize.
But the hard reality is that their awful performance in last week’s first leg at the Bernabeu just left them with too much to do, and even a stunning, swashbuckling start last night wasn’t enough to save them.
Below is how we rated both sets of players, our final verdict and man of the match.
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2)
Jan Oblak – 7
Jose Maria Gimenez – 6
Stefan Savic – 7
Diego Godin – 8
Filipe Luis – 6
Yannick Carrasco – 8
Saul Niguez – 7
Gabi (capt) – 6
Koke – 7
Antoine Griezmann – 7
Fernando Torres – 5
SUBSTITUTES
Kevin Gameiro for Torres (56′, 6), Thomas Partey for Giminez (57′, 6), Angel Correa for Koke (76′)
Coach: Diego Simeone – Outstanding team performance to restore credibility and self-respect 8/10
REAL MADRID (4-4-2)
Keylor Navas – 7
Danilo – 6
Raphael Varane – 5
Sergio Ramos (capt) – 6
Marcelo – 6
Luka Modric – 8
Casemiro – 6
Toni Kroos – 8
Isco – 8
Cristiano Ronaldo – 5
Karim Benzema – 7
SUBSTITUTES
Lucas Vazquez for Casemiro (77′), Marco Asensio for Benzema (77′), Alvaro Morata for Isco (88′)
Coach: Zinedine Zidane – Instilled his team with the self-belief to keep calm at two down 7/10
MAN OF THE MATCH
ISCO
When Real Madrid needed a goal, their best player in the last few weeks was again the man to –provide it.
And that was by no means Isco’s only contribution, with the Spain international showing all his quality with an occasionally dazzling display. Surely Zidane can’t leave him out now?
VERDICT
A magnificent performance from Atletico Madrid wasn’t enough as Real Madrid just about did enough.
Torrential rainfall in the closing stages provided a symbolic ending to a stormy encounter, which could have been so different if Isco hadn’t scored the away goal which killed the tie just before the break.
Real finished the night celebrating after controlling the midfield for the final hour, but they had been pushed extremely hard and Atletico will only be wondering why they didn’t play like this in the first leg.
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