Madrid (AFP)

Mané, Salah, Firmino, muzzled: the fiery attacking trio of Liverpool, the arch-favorite title holder, was silenced Tuesday night in Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League by Atlético ( 1-0).

In the same Wanda-Metropolitano stadium where they won their European title on June 1 against Tottenham (2-0), the Reds were silent on Tuesday, and came up against the tight Madrid curtain after the opening of the fast score and effective by Saul Niguez (4th).

But where did Liverpool's game go? While Diego Simeone, the Colchoneros coach, himself confessed to "admiring" the English game on Monday, it was his team, in serious difficulty since the beginning of the year, which rose to the level defending champions to approach the return match with a goal in advance ... and a cage kept clean

The "MSF", the attacking trio of the Reds that shakes all of Europe, author of 44 goals since the start of the season, six more than the entire Atlético team (38), is shown to be totally helpless on Tuesday, mastered by the "rojiblanco" block led by a Felipe at the height of the event ... and who had nothing to envy the best defender in the world Virgil van Dijk.

"Playing against Atlético is one of the most difficult things in life," said German technician Jürgen Klopp at a press conference on Monday, and the match proved him right: throughout the first period, his players, stationary, multiplied the side passes, in wiper mode, without managing to break the lines. Which earned them a few loud whistles from the Wanda-Metropolitano.

But with no shots on target and an imprecise Mohamed Salah from head (52) to feet (35th), the Reds headed straight for their 4th defeat of the season, the second in C1 after that against Naples in the group stage ( 2-0).

- The rebirth of Atlético -

For "Atléti", it is quite the opposite: snarling and determined, motivated by the noisy welcome from their supporters, the Madrilenians have shown themselves to be ultra-realistic in attack.

Renowned for their aggressive play which they assumed well on Tuesday, but also for their big offensive deficiencies this season, the men of Diego Simeone, also excited, got the first chances of the match (Morata 3rd, Lemar 34th) and scored very early, from the 4th minute, on a ball trailing in the area after a corner of Koke propelled into the nets by Saul Niguez.

And after such a start, the outcome could not be other: Atlético Madrid has never lost a match in the Champions League where he scored a goal in the first 20 minutes, with 17 wins and 2 draws in 19 games .

The Atlético, in crisis a few weeks ago with a half-mast attack, a full medical center, disappointing results and a threatened coach, seemed on a cloud Tuesday evening.

The teammates of Jan Oblak, who won the duel of the exceptional goalkeepers against Alisson Becker on Tuesday, will approach the rest with a multiplied desire, the Champions League being the only competition in which he can still cling to save their season.

© 2020 AFP