The secret to Atlético's recent edge on Madrid
Friday, January 16, 2015
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Joseph Walker, UEFA.com's man in the Spanish capital, tells how Club Atlético de Madrid have recovered from their Lisbon heartbreak to get the better of Real Madrid CF.
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Since the devastation of conceding a last-minute equaliser when on the verge of a first UEFA Champions League crown last May, Club Atlético de Madrid have bounced back in style against local rivals Real Madrid CF. Fernando Torres's double in Thursday's 2-2 Copa del Rey draw at the Santiago Bernabéu stretched the Liga champions' unbeaten streak against their neighbours to five matches.
"It was a difficult game, it was a full house and they were up for it, but such an early goal changed the pattern of the match – it wasn't in the script," said coach Diego Simeone after the game, which completed a 4-2 aggregate triumph for Atlético in the cup's round of 16.
Atleti's recent run against their cross-town adversaries speaks volumes about the change of mentality at the club and demonstrates how Atlético no longer suffer an inferiority complex when going head-to-head with the ten-time European champions. Labelled for years as 'el Pupas' – the cursed one(s) – Atlético had failed to register a single victory over the Merengues in 25 matches spanning a 14-year period from 1999 to 2013. How times have changed.
Meetings since the 2014 UEFA Champions League final
19/08/14: Spanish Super Cup first leg (1-1a)
• Raúl García nods home a late equaliser to cancel out James Rodríguez's opener for the hosts.
22/08/14: Spanish Super Cup second leg (1-0h)
• Mario Mandžukić scores in the second minute on his home debut to secure the trophy for his new side.
13/09/14: Spanish Liga (2-1a)
• Tiago stuns the Bernabéu and, despite Cristiano Ronaldo's equaliser, Arda Turan nets the winner.
07/01/15: Copa del Rey first leg (2-0h)
• Second-half strikes from García and José María Giménez put Atlético in charge of the cup tie.
15/01/15: Copa del Rey second leg (2-2a)
• Returnee Torres steals the show by finding the net inside a minute at the start of each half.
Atlético's resurgence against Madrid can be traced back to another Copa del Rey encounter at the Bernabéu. Goals from Diego Costa and Miranda in the 2013 final sealed a 2-1 triumph that laid the foundations for arguably the greatest season in the Rojiblancos' history as they ended Madrid and FC Barcelona's Liga title hegemony and also reached the UEFA Champions League (or European Cup) final for the first time in 40 years.
Simeone's transformation of the team has been so profound that they have withstood the disappointment of Lisbon to turn the tide and potentially create a new order in Spain's capital, showing intensity, aggression and speed out of the blocks – a fact exemplified by Torres, who on Thursday scored his first goals for his boyhood club since returning earlier this month.
"I'm delighted," said the 30-year-old. "It was a game in which we had to feel confident because of the first-leg result. The early goal allowed us to play the game we wanted, and we never thought the tie was in doubt – we weren't worried. To have that feeling at the Bernabéu is great. It is a difficult place to come, and when they made it 1-1 they thought they had a chance, but once we made it 2-1 we could see the end in sight."