Defending Champions League champions Barcelona were eliminated from the tournament at the hands of La Liga rivals Atlético Madrid on Wednesday. A brilliant defensive performance from Diego Simeone's side saw them come away with a 2-0 win on the night, overturning the 2-1 defeat they suffered at the Camp Nou last week.
3 things we learned from Atlético Madrid’s 2-0 win over Barcelona
Barcelona were dumped out of the Champions League by a brilliant Atlético Madrid on Wednesday.
Atléti made a fine start to the match, and immediately signaled their intent with a string of early forays down the left through winger Yannick Ferreira Carrasco. However, with the exception of an Antoine Griezmann header comfortably caught by Marc-André ter Stegen, the hosts failed to convert their early potential into meaningful attempts.
That said, Atléti are often at their most dangerous when least dominant, and as Barça began to grow into the game, the hosts never looked fazed. They were as impeccably organized without the ball as ever, restricting the most dangerous attack in world football to almost nothing. It was a supreme defensive display.
Atléti were rewarded for their patience inside the final 10 minutes of the first half, when Saúl Ñíguez chipped a cross over for Griezmann. Left completely unmarked in the area, the Frenchman powered his header beyond ter Stegen and into the back of the net. Atléti led on the night, and led the tie on away goals.
They continued the ascendancy into the second half and went agonizingly close to doubling their lead within a few minutes. Unfortunately for the home crowd, a looping Griezmann header came back off the crossbar after clearing a rooted ter Stegen.
It took until the hour before Barça seriously cranked up the pressure. But with nerves of steel Atléti managed to hang on superbly, and goalkeeper Jan Oblak was barely tested.
Barça’s increasing desperation only served to play into Atléti’s hands, and a clear handball in the penalty area by Andrés Iniesta -- who desperately sought to prevent the hosts from going two up on the counter-attack -- allowed Griezmann the opportunity to score from the spot. He made no mistake, and iced the cake in the dying minutes.
Atlético Madrid: Jan Oblak; Filipe Luís, Lucas Hernández, Diego Godín, Juanfran; Saúl Ñíguez, Gabi, Augusto Fernández (Stefan Savić 90+3’), Koke; Antoine Griezmann (Ángel Correa 90’), Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Thomas Partey 74’).
Goals: Griezmann (36’, pen. 88’).
Barcelona: Marc-André ter Stegen; Jordi Alba, Javier Mascherano, Gerard Piqué, Dani Alves (Sergi Roberto 65'); Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitić (Arda Turan 64'); Neymar, Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi.
Goals: None.
3 Things
1. Atlético are serious Champions League contenders
It may be a long time before Atléti get a better chance at winning the Champions League than this. In this match, Simeone's men managed to keep a team containing three of the greatest attackers of the modern era from creating a serious clear-cut chance in the entire match. With Bayern Munich far from unbeatable, and Real Madrid stuttering, there's no doubt we must now consider them among the serious contenders to win the Champions League -- they belong in the top tier.
2. Barça’s wobble is serious
What started out as a minor inconvenience for Barça is now a serious problem. They’ve now won only one of their last five matches, which is an incredibly barren streak by their own high standards. Out of the Champions League and sitting only three points clear of Atléti in the La Liga table, there’s the real possibility this season will go horribly sour for the Catalan giants.
3. Diego Godín is a defensive rock
Okay, so we’ve known this for a while, but perhaps we’ve not been emphatic enough: the Uruguayan veteran Diego Godín is one of the finest defenders on the planet at the moment. He was an absolute wall in this match, turning in a performance that will long be the talk of the Calderón.
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