Much of Madrid may decamp to Milan at the end of this month. Atletico advanced to the Uefa Champions League final, where they may meet neighbours and rivals Real. In the process, they ensured there will be no potentially awkward meeting between Pep Guardiola and his future employers Manchester City in club football's biggest game.
With comparatively little money or possession, Atletico are shaping up to be the top club. For much of the season, the sense has been that Barcelona and Bayern Munich are the world's two finest teams, playing a brand of football others cannot match. Yet Diego Simeone's scrappers eliminated the 2015 winners in the quarter-finals and now claimed the scalp of the 2013 champions. Beaten 2-1 on the night by Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski, they progressed on away goals, thanks to Antoine Griezmann.
See also:
• Gallery: Pep Guardiola's dream of winning Uefa Champions League before leaving Bayern Munich over
• Richard Jolly: For Manchester City, Sergio Aguero must show Real Madrid they missed out on world class
• Andy Mitten: Manuel Pellegrini takes Man City to the Bernabeu, a place where he never stood a chance as manager
It was a remarkable game where each side missed penalties and it amounted to belated revenge for Atletico, who were beaten by Bayern in the 1974 European Cup final. After reaching one of the first 58, they are now in a second final in three seasons. They have achieved so much under Simeone and now the greatest triumph of all is tantalisingly close.
However, these have been Groundhog Years for the departing Guardiola, with a third Bundesliga title a near certainty, but three years of Champions League semi-final exits, all to Spanish opponents. Atletico emulated Real Madrid and Barcelona meaning Guardiola will never match his predecessor, Jupp Heynckes, who won the Champions League with Bayern.
Indeed, while the next City manager has reached the Champions League semi-finals in each of his seven seasons in management, the last four have ended at this stage. Fernando Torres, whose strike for Chelsea finished off his Barcelona in 2012, turned tormentor again, though Atletico’s executioner was Griezmann whose goal, coupled with Saul Niguez’s superlative first-leg strike, sent them to Milan.
It was a victory that stemmed from concentration, organisation and determination. Bayern had the ball. Atletico erected a blue wall. While they conceded for the first time in 633 minutes, their rearguard, Diego Godin and goalkeeper Jan Oblak in particular, emerged in credit. They had been penned in during a first half when Bayern had 76 per cent of possession. They were unrelenting. Simeone responded by changing formation at the break. It paid dividends.
Griezmann, shifted to the right, darted infield as part of the sort of lightning counter-attack that Atletico have copyrighted. Torres duly fed the ball through – only the third pass he had completed in 54 minutes – for the Frenchman to accelerate onto. He held his nerve, angling a shot inside Manuel Neuer.
Guardiola’s first gambit came before kick off. Thomas Muller was restored to the side after his controversial and misguided omission last week. The German is a master of movement and his capacity to dart away from opponents discomforted even Atletico’s ultra-organised defence.
The elusive Muller fashioned the first chance of the night, springing the offside trap to cushion David Alaba’s pass into the path of Lewandowski, whose effort was saved by Oblak. Unselfish as he was, Muller, whose judgment is often impeccable, may have been better off shooting.
Lewandowski was then off target with the rebound when Oblak spilt Franck Ribery’s swerving shot. It was one of a series of long-range attempts from Bayern. With Atletico camped around their own box, it was one way to try to fashion a breakthrough. Ribery, Arturo Vidal and Philipp Lahm all tried before Alonso succeeded, the former Real Madrid midfielder’s free kick taking a telling deflection off Jose Gimenez’s knee.
A terrible couple of minutes for the young Uruguayan appeared complete when he was penalised for pulling back Javi Martinez. Oblak came to his rescue, pushing Muller’s spot kick away. The cost of that miss became apparent when Griezmann scored his 31st goal of an exceptional season, leaving Bayern requiring two more goals.
Initially, they were muted but, buoyed by the introduction of Kingsley Coman, they regained the lead on the night. Vidal timed a burst into the box and headed across the six-yard box. Lewandowski pounced for his 39th goal of a productive campaign.
Cue a nervous finale. Atletico could have alleviated that had Torres converted a spot kick. Instead, Manuel Neuer produced a save that had similarities with Oblak’s. Referee Cuneyt Cakir ought to be relieved as Martinez’s foul on Torres took place outside the Bayern box. Thereafter Oblak needed to save well from Alaba but Atletico hung on.
After 180 minutes of resistance, they are 90 away from an extraordinary feat.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
