Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid 2015: Final score 0-0, good defense and violence galore

Atlético Madrid have avoided conceding an away goal to Real Madrid, but their visitors won’t feel too bad about the first leg of their Champions League match. A 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderon gives both teams an excellent chance to advance in the second leg.

This, as expected, was a very cagey and conservative affair. Los Merengues got off to a fast start, with Gareth Bale forcing a big save out of Jan Oblak in the 4th minute as part of a surprisingly chaotic opening, but Atléti were able to settle in after that.

Madrid’s only chances after that were from distance, and Oblak was up for the challenge. He made another brilliant stop on a long-range rocket by Bale in the 31st minute, then two more on James before the end of the first half, with the second set up by a blazing 60-yard Raphael Varane individual run.

There was considerably less action around the penalty areas in the second half, with Real apparently content with not conceding and Atléti getting a lot better at keeping their shape as the match wore on. The biggest event of the half was a tussle in the 50th minute, when the referee didn’t spot Sergio Ramos striking Mario Mandzukic in the face. The Croatian’s face was a bloody mess, but Ramos didn’t get booked.

Atléti made a seemingly defensive sub in the 77th minute, bringing on Raul Garcia for Antoine Griezmann, but Diego Simeone decided to go for the throat when his team dominated the next six minutes. Fernando Torres came on for Koke, and the Rojiblancos assaulted the Real penalty area for the rest of the match. However, Los Merengues’ back line defended well, and Atléti couldn’t snag a goal to win the match.

Goals: None.

Goals: None.