Atlético Madrid lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg, resulting in a 2-1 aggregate defeat. This marks another missed opportunity for Atlético to reach the Champions League final.
So much has been said of AtlĂ©ticoâs strength in depth over the last two years, with the amount of money spent on transfers frequently quoted as a metric to measure success against. While itâs true that the squad at Simeoneâs disposal is (on paper, transfer value, etc) the best it has been since he arrived 15 calendar years ago, the pedigree of the players who were required to complete the second-half turnaround werenât quite up to the standard of a European semi-final, perhaps. Atleti can look at this Arsenal side and relate: they are Englandâs nearly men. However, they have consolidated themselves as being of the quality *to win*, despite their repeated and hilarious ability to throw every attempt away. The minimal contents of their trophy cabinet doesnât change the fact that their players are really good, including those coming off the bench to see the match out. When it came to injecting the final impulse of energy that the last 30 minutes of a Champions League semi-final needs, the likes of Ălex Baena and , in theory of the level necessary, just donât have the same pedigree as the two Martins on Mikel Artetaâs bench. Ădergaard and helped the little old Arsenal lady finally cross the road after, in reality, being fortunate to do so over the course of the two legs. Atleti werenât bad, Simeone didnât make mistakes and we could talk about the bad luck/injustice until the cows come home. But quite often Diego himself says that matches are in the hands of God. And this time God, whoever and wherever they may be, didnât allow Atleti to win. They seem to have done that a lot over the years.
Atlético Madrid lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Atlético Madrid reached the semi-finals but were eliminated by Arsenal, losing 2-1 on aggregate.
Bukayo Saka scored the only goal of the match for Arsenal just before halftime.
This loss continues Atlético Madrid's struggle in European competitions, marking five consecutive seasons without a trophy.
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Five consecutive trophyless seasons have now passed since Atleti won LALIGA during the pandemic season of 2020-21.
After two of those, as the squad accumulated some questionable names, my expectations reduced and I did not ask for trophies anymore. Instead, I wished to be still within a shot of winning something by the time May came around.
Nothing is worse than being out of every competition and your league position unthreatened with Aprilâs (or worse, Marchâs) page in the calendar still on show.
Last year was tough â out of everything by April 2 with a cruel run of fixtures our demise. This year, when it became apparent that we were to play Real Madrid, Barcelona, Barcelona, Sevilla, Barcelona and the Copa del Rey final in consecutive matches, I feared the worst.
The funny (infuriating) thing about the way the Spanish cup final is scheduled is that you can win it and still have nothing left to play for in May. Atleti did not win it.
The only fruit bore worth eating from that run was a Champions League semi-final whose second leg was the other side of April. So itâs an improvement: we had something to play for in May.
However, the demands of March and April stack all the physical odds against you when that thing to play for pits you up against an Arsenal side more rigid than a Mormonâs moral compass.
There used to be. That was until 2023 when CONCACAF changed their continental competition to be called âThe Champions Cup,â which doesnât have the same feel to it, does it?
Anyway, Antoine Griezmann will arrive stateside as one of the best players to hail from European lands, certainly of the 2010/20s era, and yet he has never won LALIGA, and now we can officially say the same about the Champions League.