The story of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid has been all
about pragmatism and ugliness at its very best. His game plan was all
about intensity rather than eye-catching football. He wishes to win at any cost rather
than creating an impact in the heart and minds of the fans. I am not a fan of
such bloody-minded football, and it's hard for me to praise such a ploy.
As usual Bayern Munich started all guns blazing. They caught
Atletico Madrid of the guard with relentless pressing high up the pitch –
Douglas Costa and Frank Ribery were cutting the flanks while Muller and
Lewandowski continually found gaps in Atletico’s defense. The German giants
scored two goals, but an away goal became the deciding factor. Bayern failed to
qualify for this year’s UEFA Champions League’s final and Atleti advanced to
the finals for the second time in three seasons.
Atletico absorbed the pressure very well and persistently
outnumbered and isolated Bayern’s front-men whenever dished out an opportunity.
There were times when almost nine Atletico men could be seen guarding the box!
Meanwhile, Atletco counterattacked and looked to pose a threat, but it was just
about scoring one goal rather than more by scripting high quality football.
The man of the night for Atletico was Jan Oblak. He was like
the Dino Zoff of Italy against Brazil in that tragic match of World Cup 1982.
It was hard to beat him 34 years back and similarly, it was tough to beat Oblak
last night. He kept Bayern at bay for
most parts of the game with a string of crucial saves, proving instrumental in
Atletico’s victory.
Pragmatic and ugly
football laughed the last smile.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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