Atletico extended their unbeaten run against Real Madrid.

The 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals yesterday, April 14th, means that Real Madrid's star-studded squad has been powerless against their troublesome neighbors for the seventh time this season.

With a goalless draw at the Calderon, the opportunity to reach the Champions League semi-finals remains wide open for both teams. Real Madrid has a slight advantage playing at home in the second leg on April 22nd, but Atletico can also be confident, as scoring first at the Bernabeu would put everything back on track.

In their three domestic away matches at the Bernabeu this season, Atletico have drawn twice with Real Madrid, 1-1 (first leg of the Spanish Super Cup) and 2-2 (second leg of the Copa del Rey), interspersed with a 2-1 victory (first leg of La Liga). If they can repeat any of those three results, Simeone's team will once again inflict a painful defeat on their local giants, Real Madrid.

Ronaldo and his teammates played better, but lacked a goal to make it perfect. Photo: AP.

However, if there's a reason to be optimistic, Real can still be satisfied looking back at the 90 minutes at the Calderon. Unlike the six Madrid derbies so far this season, where they were often overwhelmed by Atletico Madrid, yesterday's seventh encounter saw a dominant performance from Ancelotti's team.

Real Madrid had the upper hand in terms of possession (61%), twice as many shots (17 - 8), and significantly more scoring opportunities. The only thing they lacked to make the match a perfect performance was a goal away at their city rivals.

In a brilliant performance, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak neutralized almost all of Real Madrid's clearest chances. In the fourth minute, when the home team made a rare mistake with captain Diego Godin slipping and losing the ball, allowing Gareth Bale to run through and shoot, Oblak reacted quickly, using his right hand to deny the shot.

Oblak shone with a series of saves, starting with the one he made denying Gareth Bale (pictured) early in the match. Photo: BPI.

Oblak then made three more saves, successively blocking a dangerous free-kick from Ronaldo, a powerful low shot from Bale, and a nearly invincible outside-of-the-foot shot from James Rodriguez in a scramble in front of the goal, but the Slovenian goalkeeper of Atletico managed to dive to the left to block the ball. Towards the end of the first half, Oblak made another similar save, once again denying James.

Unlike previous matches, where they easily overwhelmed Real Madrid with their fast-paced, powerful, and precise football, Atletico struggled to build up play yesterday. They were under immense pressure from their opponents and were almost always forced to retreat and defend. Throughout the first half, Atletico had only one chance, but Griezmann's shot was too weak and failed to beat Casillas.

Atletico's situation seemed to improve after the break, but all they managed was slightly more possession than in the first half. Real continued to dominate and create chances, and as in the previous half, Oblak shone again with his well-timed interventions and timely saves. Atletico also had some chances, but nothing significant, and had to be content with a 0-0 draw at the end of the match.

Atletico's attacking stars, such as Mandzukic and Griezmann, had a lackluster evening. Photo: AFP.

In a tense match towards the end, Atletico's Mario Suarez and Real's Marcelo both received yellow cards, resulting in both being suspended for the second leg due to reaching UEFA's maximum yellow card quota.

According to VNE