Atlético de Madrid has released a huge number of players this year. Up to fifteen names have been parading towards the exit door in a squad change that has not been seen since the 19/20 season. Rejuvenation and fresh legs for a project that needed a coat of paint to look like it did not so long ago.
Many of the changes in the squad come from the defensive side. Mario Hermoso, Gabriel Paulista, Çağlar Söyüncü and, our protagonist today, Stefan Savić, have been the absentees. The Montengrin signed for Trabzonspor once the pre-season with Atleti had started, after a somewhat peculiar departure.
Even though the club had not made it official at the end of the season, the feeling from the stands was that of saying goodbye to Stefan Savić . Perhaps the club should have paid him a more personal tribute after eight years defending the red and white.
Stefan Savić: Unlucky Protagonist
The Montenegrin arrived in Turkey with the hope of helping Trabzonspor qualify for Europe. To do so, they had to get through a qualifying round against FC St. Gallen 1879 , a team that finished fourth in the Swiss league.
The first leg in Switzerland ended 0-0 and the return leg at Papara Park , Trabzonspor's home ground, did not foreshadow what ultimately happened. The Swiss took the lead after half an hour, but the Turks equalised after the break.
The match was heading towards a difficult penalty shoot-out, which all Atlético fans have considerable respect for. Statistically, the red-and-whites are one of the worst teams in LALIGA for their effectiveness from the penalty spot, and Stefan Savić was the one who carried this 'curse' with him.
The game went to penalties and the first eight were scored by both teams, four each. The time for the fifth penalty arrived, the one that many consider to be reserved for the team's best shooter: in this case it would be the Montenegrin. Savić took a run-up and as soon as the referee blew the whistle he approached to kick the ball that would hit the crossbar , to the disappointment of all the Turks present at Papara Park.
The former Atlético de Madrid defender was the victim of that fateful moment that has brought so many footballers to grief and made so many others famous. With his hands on his head, he returned to the centre of the pitch, knowing that he had been partly responsible for Trabzonspor's elimination. The final nail in the coffin was the fifth penalty scored by the Swiss, which sealed the Turkish team's disaster.
