As the bright colors of confetti covering one of the cathedrals of European football, Stadio San Siro begin to settle and the blood, sweat and tears of both Atleti and Real Madrid players begin to encrust in history, from a neutral perspective, one cannot help but feel sorry for the Atleti players who once again have been stripped off of the title of grand conquerors of Europe by their fiercest city rivals, Real Madrid.
The narrative itself would have been a Marxist dream. A team with substantially lower budget than their bitter European rivals, conquering Europe with their sheer hard work, determination and unity. The road to Milan was far from easy for the cholo boys. Defeating the mighty Barcelona in quarter finals from a point of disadvantage, the same team who won the treble last year and then proceeding to overcoming Bayern Munich, a team who won the treble 2 years before Barcelona, with one of the best squads in the world under the helm of Pep Guardiola, lauded as one of the best coaches in history of the modern game. Real Madrid however, despite their poor form in mid-season, is fair to say drew much easier opponents in Wolfsburg and Manchester City on the road to final. …show more content…
1-0, game on. As the game proceeded in first half, Atleti did not look like their usual selves. Known for their strong midfield and ferocious tackling, the cholo boys were easily outclassed in midfield and seemed to be losing every tackle. The Real Madrid players were growing in confidence and could smell the blood of their opponents. Especially Gareth Bale, who proved to be one of the vital cogs of Real engine with his constant energy, pace and sheer hard work by not only attacking, but also helping the defense on more than one
The narrative itself would have been a Marxist dream. A team with substantially lower budget than their bitter European rivals, conquering Europe with their sheer hard work, determination and unity. The road to Milan was far from easy for the cholo boys. Defeating the mighty Barcelona in quarter finals from a point of disadvantage, the same team who won the treble last year and then proceeding to overcoming Bayern Munich, a team who won the treble 2 years before Barcelona, with one of the best squads in the world under the helm of Pep Guardiola, lauded as one of the best coaches in history of the modern game. Real Madrid however, despite their poor form in mid-season, is fair to say drew much easier opponents in Wolfsburg and Manchester City on the road to final. …show more content…
1-0, game on. As the game proceeded in first half, Atleti did not look like their usual selves. Known for their strong midfield and ferocious tackling, the cholo boys were easily outclassed in midfield and seemed to be losing every tackle. The Real Madrid players were growing in confidence and could smell the blood of their opponents. Especially Gareth Bale, who proved to be one of the vital cogs of Real engine with his constant energy, pace and sheer hard work by not only attacking, but also helping the defense on more than one