Sooner or later, Diego Simeone stated, in these quiet moments when they’re alone with their ideas and recollections, Actual Madrid’s gamers will consider Atlético Madrid and the way they made them undergo. However the true trauma, he is aware of, will for ever be theirs. Within the last moments earlier than this newest European derby, the primary on the Metropolitano, an enormous mosaic had declared that following Atlético “kills me … and provides me life”. On the finish of it, as soon as destiny had discovered one other, nonetheless crueller means of twisting the knife, of delivering the inevitable, the coach pushed his footballers and his followers collectively, applauding so exhausting his fingers harm virtually as a lot as their hearts.
“I’m happy with them,” he stated afterwards. “I’m blissful, truthfully. I’m blissful. I’m blissful. Why? As a result of we competed in a means that was exemplary. We’d not have been in a position to beat Actual Madrid within the Champions League. Positive. After all. We couldn’t. However that they had a foul time of it, each time. They are going to keep in mind us for a very long time. Whereas having fun with having beating us, however realizing and saying to themselves: ‘Dealing with that lot was tousled, look how exhausting they made it for us, all the time.’ Our individuals depart with the ache of getting been knocked out, in fact, however realizing that their group gave every thing. I am going in peace. Shedding, however in peace.”
Peace won’t be the phrase most would select; torment, maybe, and there was a type of comprehensible finality in the way in which Simeone expressed it, as if defeat was definitive. Just lately, Carlo Ancelotti prompt that Atlético had a thorn of their facet. Dani Ceballos had been much more express. Lisbon 2014 and Milan 2016 had harm Simeone, he stated. And, oh, how they harm. “He hasn’t overcome these two finals,” Ceballos claimed then and he nonetheless couldn’t on Wednesday evening: no redemption right here, no closure. One Actual tune runs: “Years go by and every thing stays the identical / dropping finals to our Actual / it doesn’t matter what they are saying / they’ll always remember it / they cried in Lisbon / they cried in Milan.”
In Lisbon, in Milan, in Zaragoza and in Madrid, on the Calderón and the Metropolitano. This was the sixth time these groups have met in Europe, and the sixth time Actual gained. In 1959, a 2-1 win every took them to a semi-final replay in Zaragoza, Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stéfano finally scoring in one other 2-1 victory and ever because the margins have been superb however the chasm broad, changing into a attribute.
When Atlético had been denied within the European Cup last by Bayern Munich in 1974, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck scoring from 30 yards within the final minute of additional time to power a replay (which Atléti misplaced 4-0), the president, Vicente Calderón, known as them El Pupas, the jinxed ones, a bundle of dangerous luck, an accident ready to occur. It turned their identification, which didn’t please everybody, seeing an excuse for failure. As Michael Robinson used to place it, solely Atlético “presumed to lose”.
Simeone’s arrival modified that, or so it appeared. In 2013 they gained a Copa del Rey last in opposition to Actual Madrid on the Bernabéu, their first derby win since 1999. Precisely a 12 months later they gained the league. That well-known banner on the Bernabéu, a mock-up of a categorized advert asking for a “worthy rival for an honest derby” had been answered. No extra El Pupas, no extra jinxed ones. Goodbye, curse. Besides, oh: in Europe it was totally different, Actual their executioner. Per week after profitable the league, they misplaced the Champions League last in Lisbon, beginning a run of 4 consecutive continental conferences all with the identical consequence.
Sergio Ramos’s 93rd-minute objective had executed in it Lisbon. Within the quarter-final in 2015, the primary sport completed 0-0; the second was gained with an 88th-minute objective from Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. The next 12 months, they reached one other last, this time in Milan: Actual gained it on penalties. The 12 months after that, Actual gained the semi-final first leg 3-0 however inside quarter-hour of the second, Atlético had been 2-0 up, the comeback shut till Karim Benzema’s second of magic ended it. A biblical storm noticed out the final ever European evening on the Vicente Calderón, the outdated place closed with defeat. Now right here they had been on the Metropolitano, the brand new place opened the identical means.
Additional time had felt inevitable: this was the ninth time these two golf equipment – the one metropolis rivals to play a European Cup last, not to mention two of them – had gone to further time since 2013. So did Actual’s gamers working throughout the pitch celebrating at an finish that some contained in the stadium hadn’t even realised was the tip. As Jude Bellingham put it, Actual had misplaced, drawn and gained on the identical evening. Most of all that they had gained, once more. “We’re superb at that,” he stated, “at discovering a means”.
The best way was extraordinary once more, unbelievable and but so very plausible, one thing cumulative concerning the catalogue of cruelty for Atlético: not simply overwhelmed on penalties – “a lottery,” Ancelotti known as it – however with VAR ruling out Julián Alvarez’s strike. The tiniest factor, so enormous.
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Alvarez stated he didn’t know, he hadn’t felt that he had touched the ball twice. On the midway line, Kylian Mbappé had noticed it. On the bench, so had the Actual goalkeeper coach Luis Llopis, though Ancelotti reckoned that by the point that they had stated something, the VAR was already taking a look at it. “It was humorous. We noticed it and began shouting, I’ve by no means seen that earlier than,” Rodrygo stated. “The referee says that when Julián places his foot down, he touches the ball, however the ball doesn’t transfer,” Simeone stated. “The ball doesn’t transfer, not even a bit bit, however I think about that when the VAR calls him …”
At this level, Simeone laughed. After which he challenged his interrogator and the remainder of these within the room to ship their judgment. The reality was that a lot of them had been, genuinely, ill-equipped to take action. Fewer nonetheless needed to. “There’s by no means been VAR in a shootout however, properly … OK,” he continued. “They should have seen him contact it; I wish to consider that. I ask you … did you see it? Did you watch it? Did he contact it or not? Did you see it or not? Come on, don’t be scared. Anybody right here who noticed two touches, put your fingers up. Come on, fingers up. Palms up. Palms up. Anybody who says he touched it twice …? Nobody? Proper. Subsequent query.”
It was nonetheless early, a bit quickly for the debates to succeed in the pitch they inevitably will, not to mention the conspiracies. At across the similar time in a room to the facet of that, Thibaut Courtois, whose membership is embarked upon a marketing campaign in opposition to the referees, stated: “I’m a bit sick of the victimism, all the time crying about issues like this. In the long run, the referees don’t have the intention of benefiting anybody, neither in Spain nor in Europe. They’ve seen it clearly and that’s why they’ve given it like that. They’re human however within the VAR they’ve plenty of cameras and have seen it clearly. I don’t know, I reckon for those who’re profitable 1-0 from the primary minute, and then you definately don’t search for the second, that’s the error.”
That was a line that will be repeated so much, a well-known accusation geared toward Simeone. Right here, it felt like a facile one, more durable to maintain, and Courtois may need recognized that higher than anybody. He had made eight saves right here and an outstanding cease within the first leg, the place for an hour Atlético had dominated. Jan Oblak had not made a major cease, together with within the shootout when he had been near Antonio Rüdiger’s last kick. “We had doubts between Endrick and Rüdiger [taking it], however I noticed Endrick’s face and I stated: ‘No, higher Rüdiger does,’” Ancelotti stated afterwards.
Profitable through a shootout, Ancelotti stated, was a toss of the coin, and it fell their means. If Actual had appeared there for the taking, if Atlético might have averted being within the fingers of destiny, maybe it had been due to the method Atlético had taken. “We managed very properly an excellent group with superb gamers,” Simeone stated. However Actual aren’t superb, it was put to him. “Pfff,” he replied. “I believe you’re being very harsh on an unimaginable group: Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham, Brahim, Valverde, pfff … Rodrygo … pfff. We now have competed in opposition to one of the best group on this planet, for certain.”
If there was the trace of the discourse of the loser there, a justification for failure, there was additionally a doubt: was it actually so defensive? And had they executed it in a different way, had they opened extra, had they taken extra dangers, would they actually have achieved extra? Mbappé solely received to run as soon as, and it led to the penalty that Vinícius missed. And in the event that they may very well be accused of not attacking, of leaving their destiny within the fingers of a shootout, what of their opponents? If Atlético didn’t search for the second objective, might Actual have been stated to have appeared for it extra?
“Our precedence was to not complicate the sport any extra. We didn’t wish to complicate the sport, lose the ball, we didn’t power the play as a lot. It looks as if we needed to rating however we had been by no means out of this tie; within the worst case situation, it was stage,” Ancelotti stated. “Atlético depart this competitors with their heads held excessive.”
On this, Simeone agreed, however they had been leaving the competitors once more, defeated. There was an inevitability about all of it, barely plausible but oh so plausible. For all of the pleasure, for all that Atlético might be strive once more regardless of most likely feeling like giving in and by no means coming again, right here was one other loss, every extra painful than the final. In Europe, Actual stay invincible. “Inform me the way it feels,” sang Actual’s followers, to the tune of Unhealthy Moon Rising. Bloody terrible, and likewise very acquainted. And on Sunday they face Barcelona in a match that may outline La Liga too: their gamers, Simeone admitted, would have been delighted watching this go the gap and, sure, they are going to be drained, sure, they are going to be harm, however they may compete.
However that may be a totally different day. And now it was late and it was over. “There are two methods of going to mattress,” Simeone stated. “Going pondering: bloody hell, how badly we performed. We didn’t do the issues we needed to do, the hassle wasn’t there, we didn’t compete. And there’s one other which goes to sleep [thinking]: ‘Man, I gave every thing. I gave every thing. I gave every thing.’ They gave all of it they usually deserved the applause.” After which they awoke and realised that the recurring nightmare is Actual and might be with them for ever.
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