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MOTD- Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid

By on May 24, 2014

Tonight’s Champions League final was an incredibly big occasion, so much so, that Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa would not miss it, despite being in the middle of recovering from injury. In a scripted move, Costa started, not to miss the biggest football match of his life, but came off just nine minutes into the match. Nor would Juanfran come off in early extra-time in the final, even though he could hardly walk after a challenge from Alvaro Morata. This match was so big, and with a history of cagey affairs, that it was a wonder that it could produce such entertainment.

It was the first Champions League final between two teams from the same city, and if it was possible that the match could have been any better than it was made out to be pre-match, it was. And if it was possible for the atmosphere at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa, to be better than expected, it was. In short, this match had it all. Late equalizers, dramatic misses, and all the drama possible; there was incredible scenes at both the start the match, and end of the match, both sets of fans trying to make their voices heard above the other’s.

Real controlling the opening stages of the game, and the first big surprise came when Costa was brought off just nine minutes in, the undoubtedly scripted move. But, by golly, that was the only event that could have possibly been scripted in this match. The Red and White strips of Atletico were all over Cristiano Ronaldo whenever the winger got the ball, and Real’s Luka Modric curled a free-kick from the left straight at Thibaut Courtois as both sides felt their way into the match.

First Real was in control, and then Atletico; both sides actually wanted to be the team sitting back and waiting to pounce on the counter attack.

Controversy finally crept it’s way into the match when Ángel Di María was brought down from behind as he was about to break away, earning Raúl García the first yellow card of the match. The eleven men on the pitch in the white of Real, though, argued that García shoudl have been sent off, thus Sergio Ramos got himself in the book for arguing. Ronaldo sent his trademark dipping free-kick through the wall and into the arms of Courtois from the following free-kick, but the aftermath of the last little squabble was not over; little fights began to break out everywhere as the half wore on.

A half hour in the match opened up, and Gareth Bale was sent off to the races as he intercepted an Atleti pass in the middle of the opposition half. Yet after running by three defenders, the Welshman scuffed a low effort inches wide of the left-hand post from ten yards out. And it would turn out to be a miss he rued moments later, when he found his side down via a horrible mistake from his goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Spanish goalkeeper came out two or three steps to meet a cross from Atletico in the middle of the box following a corner, but found himself in no-mans-land as Diego Godin got there first. The Uruguayan headed the ball over Casillas, who was left to scrape at the ball as it bounced over the line. It was only thirty-five minutes in, but the Madrid derby, as well as a final, began to get interesting.

Real were on their heels, and Gabi’s near post corner was headed inches over by Adrián four minutes out from the end of the first half. However, the second half would turn out to tell a whole other story.

Real were hungry for an equalizer as the second period began, revamped by manager Carlo Ancelotti’s halftime talk, and although there was a scrappy start to the half, Ronaldo was given an excellent opportunity from his favorite position; Di Maria won a free-kick thirty yards-or-so out, slightly to the left, from goal as Koke pulled him back with a professional foul. The Portugese international’s dipping effort deflected off the wall, yet it still caused Courtois trouble, forcing the goalkeeper to tip it over. Soon after, Ronaldo poked a low shot inches wide in a goalmouth scrap in the aftermath of a corner, but Real just could not put the ball in the back of the net. Sixty-one minutes in a Ramos cross from the left was centimeters to high for Ronaldo to head in, and Isco draged a low twenty yard effort wide of the frame moments later.

Ancelotti’s side were pushing forward with all their weight, and as the match ended seemed to be wearing down Diego Simeona’s Atletico side, with fatigue setting in. Bale sent a blistering strike from the edge of the ‘D’ wide of the right-hand post, before Ronaldo sliced a spectacular scissor-kick from eight yards out inches over the crossbar in the aftermath of a corner.  Fingernails everywhere suffering – even two managers and players on the bench could hardly watch.

Real because desperate, but wasted perhaps their biggest chance of the half as Bale could only poke a shot into the side netting after sprinting gazelle-esque down the right wing and cutting into the box. Forward Alvaro Morata was then thrown on, and Real almost immediately found their equalizer, only for Godin to just tackle the ball away from Isco, who was inches away from poking a shot on goal from a few yards out. Atletico ran the clock down, though, and just as it seemed like they had won it, a title which they hadn’t even been considered as big outsiders to win at the start of the competition, with just two of five minutes of stoppage time left to play, Real found an equalizer. Ramos nicked ahead of his marker at the near post, and flicked a header into the bottom left of the net via a corner.

The stadium went berserk. Real players, substitutes, and coaches alike sprinted to the corner flag to celebrate; Casillas even game Ramos a kiss among all the pandemonium. Real had only forced the match into extra-time, but it was as if they had won it. And as Atletico were already starting to look like they had broken down, Real quote nearly had already sealed La Decima, their tenth European Cup trophy. They had the upper hand as extra time began, and when Juanfran went down ninety-four minutes in with all of Atletico’s subs used, the favor was all to the white side of Madrid. And while Juanfran refused to come off, Atletico were as good as down to ten men.

However, the Spanish full-back was not the only one tired and hurt, soon after everybody began cramping up. Ronaldo, David Villa, Juanfran and more used every break in play used for stretching.

Despite their fatigue, though, it was all Real. Ramos headed a corner into arms of Courtois right on the stroke of the end of the first half in extra-time, and five minutes into the second period of extra-time Real all but sealed the title with a winner. Di Maria swerved in and out past four Atleti defenders down the left, and into the box, and although Courtois blocked his attempted chip, Bale was there at the far post to head home the goalkeeper’s stop.

Atletico pushed forward on the little fumes they had left, but were thus exposed at the back and Marcelo the game to bed as he pushed forward and slammed a low effort into the back of the net from edge of the box, after the ball had squirted under Courtios. Ronaldo put the icing on the cake with hardly any time left on the clock, burying a penalty into the bottom corner after he was brought down by Godin on the left side of the box. With that La Decima was won. Over ten years of waiting and this one match made the wait worth while for Real. There was a very late scrabble between Raphael Varane and Simeone yet nothing could ruin the occasion.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.