For the second time in the Cholo era, Atlético did not go beyond the first phase. “But I’m hard-headed, I’m going to keep insisting,” challenges the technician
More than 10 minutes after everything had ended, of that absolutely bizarre and cruel outcome, there was Cholo, his gaze lost, his eyes glassy, in the middle of the lawn of the Metropolitan. Another night of Champions with pain, another red and white disappointment. The Champions League is difficult for me, I have no doubt. We lost one final on penalties and another in 93. There is nothing closer to penalties, he was honest as never before in the press room, just a few seconds after shamelessly confessing that, after those disappointments against Real Madrid, the yesterday was his hardest night. But I am hard headed. And I will continue to insist until I have the possibility in this club, challenge below.
This is the second time in a decade cholismo that Atlético does not advance to the round of 16, but what happened this time affects a negative and worrying trend. Numbers don’t lie, he had resigned himself Simeone after the frustrating draw against Club Brugge. His first four courses, the athletic dawn in Champions was a promise. In all, classified as first in the group. And from there, like a spring, two finals (2014 and 2016), some semifinals (2017) and some quarters (2015). But, since then, the troubles. We have spent seasons that it is costing us to be in the second round. There the team competes better, in duels.
Since then, Atlético has never managed to reign in its group, nor was it going to do so this season. He was confident, however, in the final sprint, in another magical night in Do Dragao, like the one a year ago. However, this time he will not even make it to next Tuesday’s clash with Porto alive. There the crumbs will be played, which other times ended in glory: to avoid the absolute failure that it would be not even to continue in the Europa League. And for this they need to win or, at least, do the same as Bayer Leverkusen against Bruges.
“We deserved more”
The Champions does not forgive, it is another of Cholo’s recurring phrases. Since that 2017, Atlético never managed to overcome the quarterfinals. As if the Simeone effect had been diluted, the greats of Europe no longer suffered against the rojiblanco as Bara de MessiBayern’s Guardiola or the Chelsea of Mourinho in those initial Champions. It was the move to the Metropolitano, cruel whims of fate, with which everything began to go wrong.
At that turning point, a name like a nightmare, the Qarabag. The Azerbayn team that was never heard from again stole four points from Atlético, who fell to the Europa League that they would end up lifting in Lyon after beating Olympique de Marseille.
Then came four consecutive seasons qualifying as second in the group, four premature eliminations: Juventus in the round of 16, Leipzig in the quarterfinals (the year of covid, after Anfield’s feat in the round of 16), Chelsea in the second round and Manchester City in the quarterfinals last year.
It was not within what we expected, but it is reality. We deserved much more in all the games. There are two places to put yourself, in the place of victimhood or in continuing to work. I am about to continue working, said without a doubt a visibly affected Simeone. What Jan Oblak, again a hero with several stops that kept hope, even in the middle of the entanglement of the last play that the VAR review led to the fatal penalty. It is a very cruel way to fall. In the second half we have done everything to win, but the previous matches have not punished us. We haven’t had the luck we needed. Can’t say more than I’m disappointed. It is a very hard result, pronounced the goalkeeper.
The unusual outcome of the match also gave rise to moments of great tension. He pondered whether it should have been Griezmann the one in charge of the responsibility of the final launch. Bakker made the ugliest gesture a sports professional can have, making fun of very bad manners of Carrasco after the stop Hradecky. Y Xabi Alonso, received with whistles by the Metropolitan, went to ask the referee for explanations and was seen embroiled in some brawl with By Paul. These types of decisions are doing a lot of damage so lightly, VAR is being used too much, today it could have harmed us, I don’t think it was a correct decision, criticized the San Sebastian coach.
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