Heartbreak yet again for Atletico, but not undeserved

Real Madrid crowned champions of Europe for record 11th time; Los Rojiblancos left to rue another final miss

So when the curtains fell on the Champions League final on Saturday, a sea of white was all that could be seen at the San Siro as Real Madrid supporters pranced around and sang with all their heart, savouring their team’s unprecedented 11th European triumph.

While Real wrote another glorious chapter in their remarkable European tale, the fact that they did so while thwarting their city rivals Atletico Madrid again — twice in three years — made it all the more satisfying for the millions of Madridistas around the world.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Whatever motivation the painful memories of the 2014 Champions League final in Lisbon, when Atletico lost 4-1 to Real, had given the mattress makers ahead of the match clearly did not work as, when faced with the task of overcoming Los Blancos, Diego Simeone’s men fell short once again.

They certainly showed heart and courage to dictate play in the second-half and even found the equaliser through Yannick Ferreira Carrasco in the 79th minute after Sergio Ramos had given Real a first-half lead. But as Cristiano Ronaldo, the scorer of the penalty which decided the match, said after the game, it was an ‘experience’ that decided the final in Milan.

And experience was always the only thing that could have ever separated the two sides because, in terms of skill and ability, both sides were evenly-matched.

PHOTO: AFP

This statement certainly might raise some eyebrows as Real boast a plethora of Galacticos — even their manager was a Galactico. But while Atletico players might not have the same appeal which normally catches Real Madrid President Florentino Perez’s eye, they are in no way inferior to their Madrid counterparts. In fact, some might even be better.

For 120 minutes Simeone’s men toiled hard. For 120 minutes they took the game to Real, testing their defence, looking for the gap which would give them the advantage over their opponents.

But it never came.

The only move that Atletico managed to string together perfectly was the one where they found the net as, apart from that, they were left to test Keylor Navas from outside the penalty area as Real became as compact as physics could have allowed them. Simply put, they pulled an Atletico over Atletico Madrid.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Simeone’s men, who had frustrated opponents, including the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, with their Spartan-like defence en route to the Champions League final, were given a taste of their own medicine as Atletico, who are used to stifling out their opponents while letting them dictate play, suddenly found the tables to have turned in Milan.

Suddenly it was Simeone’s men who had more of the ball — 54% possession, something they haven’t been accustomed to for a major part of their campaign. And while Atletico did not disappoint with the way they played out the match, Real also displayed great composure to play some extremely smart football.

Real let Atletico tire out. They let Atletico have the ball and they let Atletico do all the thinking while they sat back and soaked in the pressure. But despite Real enjoying less time on the ball, they showed their attacking intent with 25 total shots — Atletico registered 18, with eight on target, four more than their city rivals.

And the fact that Real blocked more shots (11) than Atletico (three) and even got booked six times by referee Mark Clattenburg showed that they were doing all they could to stifle their opponent’s attack.

And all that worked because Atletico visibly became fatigued, both mentally and physically, at the end of the match and when it came to the all-decisive penalties, it was Real who had the fresher minds.

Champions League winner with Liverpool, manager Rafa Benitez has said countless time that it is the little things, the ‘small details’ which decide the biggest moments in life and he cannot have been more correct.

It certainly were the little things, the minute details which broke Atletico Madrid’s hearts in Milan. It certainly were the little things that thwarted Atletico’s bid to make history and it certainly were the little things that made them go back home empty-handed.

While it could be safely said that Real were the undeserved winners in Lisbon two years ago, the same statement cannot be repeated this time around.

This time Real deserved to win. This time they deserved to be champions of Europe.