It was the day, Atlético de Madrid needed to go out and die, and Diego Pablo Simeone was aware of this, and he opted for his stars. Antoine Griezmann , Julián Álvarez and Alexander Sorloth were starters on a magical night. They couldn't make a mistake and they had to be very precise in every action.
Real Madrid had wanted to take control of the game from the outset, but the home side were not willing to let them through. With an orderly defence, Diego Pablo Simeone wanted to protect and build from the back.
Without a doubt, one of the protagonists of the match was Vinicius Jr. The Real Madrid player was heavily booed at the Metropolitano , as was to be expected, with loud whistles from the Atlético fans, tired of his provocations.
Part One
Little by little, Atlético de Madrid increased the intensity, looking whenever they could for the goal defended by Thiabout Courtois . Diego Pablo Simeone's team was very active, as they did not want to be a stone-cold team, but rather a group that would intimidate and nullify Real Madrid.Carlo Ancelotti 's men, during the first few minutes, were unable to threaten the red-and-whites with any significant actions.
Atleti 's improvement was becoming more and more evident as time went by. Julián Alvarez outpaced Rüdiger and faced Courtois , but the Belgian goalkeeper, very attentive, cleared the ball to the throw-in. It was the first warning from an Atlético de Madrid that was willing to give everything until the end to win a match that was not going to be easy.
Although Real Madrid had a few chances to put Jan Oblak on the ropes, the truth is that Atlético were feeling comfortable. The Colchoneros tried to get behind the Madrid defenders, led by AlexanderSorloth , who was playing his role perfectly. However, Los Blancos had a few chances to try to turn the game around, such as with FedeValverde , who made a great shot from outside the area that Jan Oblak saved.
The Slovenian, with some difficulty, sent the shot to the corner. Faced with this, Atlético de Madrid had to react and, moreover, they had to do so quickly if they did not want CarloAncelotti 's team to take the lead. As the minutes passed, the colchoneros, far from being intimidated, increased the pressure to the euphoria of their fans, who did not stop cheering with all their might.
The first half was drawing to a close and Atlético de Madrid were trying to get close to their opponents' goal by all means, but several interruptions by the referee prevented them from doing so. All of this to the anger of the Metropolitano fans, who could not understand how these actions ended in a foul by their eternal rival. For their part, the Whites tried to put Diego Pablo Simeone 's team on the ropes by controlling the ball.
In the final minutes, the red-and-white players needed to give it another push if they want to get something positive out of these first 45 minutes. Although the ball movements were good, the fluidity still needed to improve, something that Cholo needed to improve, as well as the loss of the ball. Meanwhile, RealMadrid needed little to reach Jan Oblak 's area, who for the moment stopped everything that came his way.
Second half
Koke 's introduction at half-time revitalised Atlético de Madrid , who were more active, intense and aggressive in their pressing. This in turn caused Real Madrid to have real problems when it came to getting the ball out, putting Carlo Ancelotti 's men in a tight spot. Despite this, they had to continue to be careful with the Whites' combinations and strategies.
In fact, Rodrygo 's shot from outside the area, which originated from a corner, almost ended in a goal, but his effort went over the goal. This was a clear warning to Diego Pablo Simeone 's men, who could not give up even a single millimetre.
Atlético de Madrid 's improvement in the second half was evident, and Real Madrid were aware of this, trying to block their exits. The departure of Nahuel Molina , together with the entry of Samuel Lino , were intended to give more mobility to the wings and try to get the defenders to push more towards the centre. However, the plan was not working for Carlo Ancelotti , who although he had some very dangerous chances, could not find the fluidity with the ball.
The minutes passed, and neither side managed to score a goal. The truth is that Atlético de Madrid was a little more dominant in the second half, but Real Madrid was a team to be reckoned with. Once again, with set pieces, the team led by Carlo Ancelotti , scored the first goal for the Whites, who took the lead thanks to Militao .
Following a free kick, the visiting team shot from the side of the area and made it 0-1 on the scoreboard, unleashing anger at the Metropolitano . The Atlético de Madrid supporters, very angry, carried out several shots from the stands, causing the match to be stopped. After several insistences by the referee to stop the shots, the match ended up being stopped definitively until further orders.
15 minutes later, Atlético de Madrid was forced to come back, but it was very difficult because of the advantage that Real Madrid had, who had more chances. As for the colchoneros, they had to completely forget about what happened in the stands and focus on what was left of the match. Despite everything, the colchoneros still seemed to have the energy to turn the game around despite the last-minute complications.
Diego Panlo Simeone 's team tried to intimidate Real Madrid and continued testing Thibaut Courtois , who made a great save on Samuel Lino . Although Atlético did not stop trying, Real Madrid consolidated themselves on the field and squeezed the minutes in the way that best suited their interests. Between substitutions, time wasting and slow play, the Metropolitano crowd ended up more heated than it already was.
The fans of Atlético de Madrid will surely be in the spotlight for several weeks due to the continuous accidents that took place. Antoine Griezmann tried with a direct free kick, as did Ángel Correa , but no one managed to break down the white and Belgian wall. And that would have been the case if it weren't for the fact that the Argentine, who else, scored the long-awaited goal for the colchoneros in a play where luck fell on the red and white side.
And even with the tie at one, the controversy was not over, because Marcos Llorente He was shown a straight red card after a foul on Fran García, one of the substitutions. It also gave rise to a very dangerous scare between Le Normand and Tchouaméni , who carried out a terrifying headbutt that forced the Frenchman to leave the field of play. Finally, the match would end with everything explained above with the score tied at 1-1.