COMMENT: Against all odds, Atletico have now beaten their city rivals in each of the last three derbies and are well placed to fight for the top titles again in 2014-15
Sergio Ramos rose majestically. There was a sense of deja vu but, unlike his last-gasp winner in last season’s Champions League final, this header stayed out. Atletico were all over the place, but as usual, they picked themselves up to hit the knockout blow. And in the end, it was fully deserved.
Scoring early against Atleti is key. The longer the game goes on, the more Diego Simeone’s side grow in stature. They wear other teams out, grind them down. Against all odds, it happened again.
Madrid enjoyed around 80 per cent possession in the early stages, had the play and the clearest chances. But it mattered little. As soon as Atleti attacked, they threatened – usually through the pace of Antoine Griezmann.
The occasion was billed as the heroic homecoming of Fernando Torres. Disappointing now for several seasons, the Spain striker had surprisingly managed to get fans onside for his much-anticipated return – but he was unable to stay onside much himself and offered little to the hopes of his adoring aficionados.
But that didn’t matter much either. Torres hasn’t been brought in to play pretty football, but to help Atleti win football matches and, once fully fit and firing for Simeone’s side, he is likely to be useful.
“Torres transmits excitement and energy,” Simeone said. “He is strong, he is fast and he needs time to build up an understanding with his team-mates. That will come by playing more minutes.”
Without Koke, Mario Mandzukic, Miguel Angel Moya, Juanfran, Arda Turan and Joao Miranda in the starting line-up, this team looked like it was there for the taking. On the contrary, however, Simeone’s side showed all their fighting qualities to dig out yet another remarkable victory.
Raul Garcia converted from the penalty spot after a clumsy challenge by Ramos on the midfielder himself and Jose Gimenez headed home brilliantly from a corner late on to seal the win which will leave Atleti as favourites to go through to the last eight ahead of the second leg.
Earlier, Ancelotti had sent on Cristiano Ronaldo in an attempt to salvage something from the game. But the Portuguese has struggled to make an impact against Atleti in recent meetings and provided little in the way of inspiration this time as well.
“Cristiano Ronaldo was tired and that’s why he only played the second half,” Ancelotti revealed afterwards. “The game was under control until the penalty and then we didn’t do so well at the end. We need to be more efficient.”
In truth, though, the win was all about one man: Simeone. Real are world and European champions and possess the most expensive side ever assembled in the history of football, but Atleti have now beaten them three times in a row.
Stripped of key players in the summer and now with a much-changed side, Simeone still masterminded a wonderful win. For the Argentine, it is more about collective strength than individual excellence – and any XI he sends out is hugely competitive.
For Madrid, meanwhile, it was a second successive defeat and another wake-up call in what has been a disappointing start to 2015, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men ended 2014 with 22 straight victories in all competitions and are not embroiled in an institutional crisis like their rivals Barcelona.
While Madrid and Barca both lost in La Liga on Sunday, Atletico beat Levante and quietly moved to within a point of league leaders Real. Now they have one foot in the last eight of the Copa del Rey too and travel to Camp Nou on Sunday to face Luis Enrique’s stuttering side, boosted by the arrival of Torres and on-loan midfielder Cani, who joined from Villarreal earlier on Wednesday.
So as Barca drop back and Madrid slip up, Simeone seeks constant improvements to make Atletico better and better. And approaching the season’s halfway stage, the relentless Rojiblancos appear poised for greatness once again.
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