ROUTE TO MILAN: HOW ZIDANE, SIMEONE GOT TO SAN SIRO
While Real Madrid had a rather easy ride to the final, Atletico had to go the extra mile, overcoming much tougher opposition from the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the quarter and semi-finals respectively. Bayern was certainly no limp opposition and Diego Simeone had to play all his cards right, to ensure his side got to the finals.
During the group phase, more renowned side of the two, Real Madrid, amassed 16 points from 6 matches and in the process netted 19 goals thanks to their potent BBC (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) attack line.
Real, then led by Rafa Benitez was second seed in the UCL draw and were pitted alongside the likes of Swedish champions Malmo, French giants PSG and Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk. The Madrid giants had a rather predictable win over Shakhtar and Malmo.
Biggest test
The biggest test lay with the Paris Saint-Germain encounter, where Real’s mettle would be tested, while both sides contested to go top of the group. Real drew 0-0 away in France, as they struggled in the La Liga, and the hugely expensive squad was marred by injuries. Unlikely candidate Nacho would however rise to the occasion a fortnight later, to score the lone goal, as Real went top of the group.
Despite going for four games without conceding they would later concede three at Shakhtar but recovered in time to soak Malmo in 8 goals and qualify for the next round.
Real’s fairy tale run continued, as they were pitted alongside struggling Roma. With a change already effected at the dugout, and Zinedine Zidane now in charge, Real had a comfortable sail, beating the Italians 4-0 0n aggregate.
Dented hopes
Slowly but surely, their domestic title ambitions began going up in smoke, as rivals Barca opened a nine point lead at the top. Real’s only real title hopes lay with the Champions League, but their hopes were further dented, with a 2 nil loss to German side VFL Wolfsburg in the next round.
Zidane however engineered a turn around, as Real saw off Wolfsburg, and proceeded to have a rather quiet two legs against Man City, with Fernando scoring an own goal to ensure Real Madrid got to the Milan finale.
Diego Simeone’s side was drawn in group C alongside other heavyweights, all of whom had won their domestic leagues in Galatasaray, Benfica and Astana. Atletico amassed 13 points in 6 matches to set off their campaign on a high note, seeing off Turkish side Galatasaray 2-0 but no sooner had the celebrations finished, than Benfica stunned them 2-1.
They would however gained revenge and saw off Benfica in Lisbon, before completing a double over Galatasaray and over Astana, the Rojibalncos collected 4 points from both legs.
Knockout phase
In the round of 16, Atletico faced a brave PSV side in a tie that went down to penalties, which Atleti won. The real test was yet to come, as they were pitted next against domestic rivals Barcelona who were enjoying a super run of form domestically. Barcelona were excellent going forward against Atleti, but Diego Simeone’s heroics saw his men dump out Barcelona, thanks to a ruthless counter-attack strategy.
The test was still on, and this time, they were drawn against Bundesliga Champions Bayern. Saul’s goal gave them a one-goal advantage heading to an Allianz Arena showdown that was pregnant with expectations. Against all odds, Atletico remained strong at the back, with Oblak tipping over Bayern’s penalty.
Antoine Griezmann stunner
The high octane encounter however tipped when Antoine Griezmann stunned the Allianz Arena, with a 55th minute goal. Bayern were forced to step up their effort and this time, Robert Lewandowski scored. Bayern needed an extra goal to ensure they sailed through, but the rock solid Atletico defence offered them no chance, holding on to 2-1 aggregate win to secure a final spot in Milan.
Many would agree it’s been a rather tough path for Diego Simeone and his troops, but what is glory without struggle as the brawl for the ultimate prize go right down to the wire on Saturday.
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