Atletico Madrid's 10 Greatest Games of the 21st Century: Nos. 6-4
With club football taking yet another international break, we’ve taken the opportunity to look back at Atletico Madrid’s rise to prominence during the 21st century through some of the matches that made them what they are today.
Throughout this week, we’ll be remembering Atleti’s 10 greatest games since 2000, and we continue with Nos. 6-4.
6. Atletico Madrid 2-0 Barcelona, April 13, 2016 – Champions League
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Everything that happened here was really made possible by Atletico’s fine effort in the first match a week previously, which could easily be worthy of a place on this list on its own.
Fernando Torres had given Atleti the lead in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at the Camp Nou, only to be sent off for a second bookable offence 10 minutes later.
Yet Diego Simeone’s side refused to let their one-man disadvantage see them overwhelmed, and although they ultimately lost 2-1 on the night courtesy of two second-half strikes from Luis Suarez, they had at least kept themselves in the tie and set it up perfectly for what was to come at the Vicente Calderon.
Barcelona had lost at the same venue in the Champions League quarter-finals on Atletico’s route to the Lisbon, Portugal, final two years previously, and there was a great level of confidence that they would repeat that performance here.
Barca—although holding that one-goal advantage—seemed vulnerable, and the Calderon was in fine voice as the hosts set about trying to overturn that deficit.
An impressive first half was then garnished 10 minutes from the interval when a sumptuous outside-of-the-boot cross from Saul Niguez was thundered into the net by the head of Antoine Griezmann. The Calderon roared, and Atleti were ahead on away goals.
And then what followed was Atletico simply doing what Atletico are good at.
Barca dominated the ball and “enjoyed” 77 per cent of possession, according to BBC Sport, but they never quite did enough with it.
Their frustrations grew, with Suarez clashing with his Uruguay team-mate Diego Godin and Neymar appearing to lash out at Juanfran. They were also denied what looked to be a clear penalty when Gabi handled in the box.
But all of this was feeding into the frenzy at the Calderon. The crowd was electric, and the roar reached its loudest point when a handball from Andres Iniesta late on led to Griezmann scoring his second goal from the penalty spot.
Atletico were through to the semi-finals, and the beaten Barcelona trudged off in the knowledge that that was exactly what they deserved.
5. Bayern Munich 2-1 Atletico Madrid, May 3, 2016 – Champions League
OK, so Atleti lost this match over 90 minutes, but everything about it was dictated in the first leg at the Calderon, and so if anything, we’re including the whole 180 minutes here.
Saul’s brilliant solo goal in the first leg in what was a raucous Madrid atmosphere had set things up perfectly for Simeone’s side, who won that first encounter 1-0 to crucially ensure that Bayern Munich didn’t grab an away goal.
In that second leg in Germany, Xabi Alonso’s deflected free-kick brought Bayern level before surely the crucial moment in the tie when Jan Oblak saved a penalty from Thomas Muller in the first half.
Had Bayern gone in at the break 2-0 up on the night, then everything would have been pointing to Pep Guardiola leading his side to the final in what had already been declared his last season with the club, but Atleti responded in fine fashion in the second half.
Just eight minutes had been played on the second-half clock when Griezmann coolly finished for that all-important away goal—a strike that meant Bayern needed to score twice more to progress.
Robert Lewandowski managed one of those goals with 16 minutes left to play, and with a Torres penalty miss heightening the tension yet further, a defiant Atletico were able to hold on and reach their second Champions League final in three years.
On the touchline, Simeone roared with delight, while his players all embraced on the pitch following a exhibition of just how much effort the Argentinian manager demand of his players.
They were through, and they barely had any breath left to celebrate.
4. Atletico Madrid 2-1 Fulham, May 12, 2010 – Europa League final
In many ways, this was the result that put Atletico back on the European football map, while it also secured their first European trophy for 48 years.
After being knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, a thrilling run to the final had seen them beat Galatasaray 3-2 on aggregate and then, somewhat remarkably, Sporting Lisbon, Valencia and Liverpool all on away goals after the tie had finished 2-2—with the semi-final against the Reds going into extra-time before Diego Forlan landed a telling blow in front of the Kop.
The final was to be against another English team, albeit a much less celebrated one.
Roy Hodgson’s Fulham—a team made up of players who hadn’t quite cut it at so-called "bigger clubs"—had made an incredible run to the Hamburg showpiece, and they arrived determined to take on Atletico at their own game.
But—after a well below-par league season—Quique Sanchez Flores’ side had been targeting this competition for success, and they were determined not to let it out of their grasp.
Their potent front two of Forlan and Sergio Aguero were trusted to produce the goals, and it was Forlan who opened the scoring when he fired in from close range. However, not to be deterred, the plucky Londoners almost immediately hit back through Wales international Simon Davies.
There was a sense of destiny about the Premier League side’s run to the final, but Atleti weren’t at all interested in that, and as a gruelling battle dragged on towards extra-time, it became increasingly clear that it was the Liga side that had the edge when it came to fitness.
And so it proved just four minutes from the end of extra-time when, with the threat of penalties looming, Aguero escaped the attentions of Aaron Hughes down the Atletico left, and his low centre was seized upon by Forlan as he nipped in ahead of Brede Hangeland to poke home.
Everyone knew it was the winner, and after Atletico saw out time to capture the trophy, there was a strange sense of relief and that the club had finally lived up to their potential.
A first European trophy since the 1962 European Cup Winners’ Cup had been secured, with Forlan duly writing his name into Atletico history.
A giant had awoken.
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