Atletico, a team forged in Mount Doom. Can any team be as feared as spoilers of dreams? First, they have the stingiest defence, two perfect embankments of four working in chain mail unison to break down any attack, and secondly, they have the hardest working, swiftest wingmen/ strikers in Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco. The former is already on his way to semi-legendary status at the Calderon, the latter is carving out quite a name. Arsenal fans will remember him from Monaco, a supposed footnote to their 2015 Champions League campaign, as he scored an all important third goal in their away win. The Gunners disappeared in ritualistic fashion from the last 16.
With Fernando Torres suspended for this match, Griezmann was promoted to frontman and Carrasco, his partner. Diego Simeone, a byword for tough and intelligent defending went in with three central midfielders Gabi, Saul Niguez, and Augusto Fernandez, with Koke the creative hub. They did enough to niggle Barcelona’s slick passing without foregoing possession, forcing them to specious long balls and mislaid through passes. Having set that defensive bedrock in place, Simeone has schooled Atletico into one of the most self aware and opportunistic sides, in maximizing their scoring chances. No one can ever accuse them of running up a score. A goal or two is usually enough.
Saul set up the first strike as he bent in a very clever cross with the outside of his left foot which Griezmann met with a free header near post. This wasn’t Nicola Rizzoli’s best refereed match as there was a good case for why Luis Suarez was allowed to stay after his vicious elbow on Diego Godin. As did Neymar surviving his two footed tackle on Godin with just a booking. Iniesta then handled Filipe Luis’s cross in the box at the end of the former Chelsea man run deep from within his half. Rizzoli correctly called a penalty but Iniesta should have been sent off as last man to deny a scoring opportunity. Griezmann’s penalty shot was almost saved by Andre Ter Stegen diving correctly to his left but the ball rolled over his hand. A few minutes later, Gabi’s flailing hand made contact with Iniesta’s pass well into the box but instead of pointing to the spot Rizzoli gave a free kick further incensing a frustrated and sour looking Barca side.
And so ’tis. Atletico go through and Barca fail to make the semi-finals, only the second time in eight years when it was Los Colchoneros who denied them. The league leaders are riding out a nervy time with two defeats in a row and now out of the Champions League. One can’t argue with Simeone who said this:
“I would look beyond the fact that we have reached a semi-final to values which are ever rarer in society,” Simeone said. “We can win or lose but we believe in the values life teaches you: respect, perseverance, the willingness to get up again, the ability to persist even against those more talented, to compete. I said to the players: you have great values as individuals and as a group. We never stopped believing.”
You really can’t top that sort of motivation. It must be what Claudio Ranieri says too. This is turning out to be a fabulous year for the underdog.
Griezmann’s second goal: