Luis Núñez-Villavearán

Updated Friday, January 19, 2024-10:07

  • Chronicle Atlético culminates its revenge in an intense and harsh derby

He didn't want it to be a revenge and he said so, but something different was felt in the Metropolitano, far from the Arabian bubble.

Diego Simeone

noticed it

when he arrived at the Metropolitano among a wave of people and it was noticed by the players who appreciated that energy before entering the field of play.

"We found something wonderful. It excites you," said Diego Simeone about a Copa del Rey round of 16 match.

Far from letting himself be infected by the ardor of the masses,

Simeone

decided not to go to the open grave for Madrid, he was more like water, little by little eroding his rival until he gave him the final blow through the crack that opened in his final stretch of overtime.

"In football there is no merit or revenge, there is a new game every time," Cholo admitted after the victory against Real Madrid.

A victory that equals the private duel between him and

Carlo Ancelotti

with nine games won for each and five draws.

Two of the last three derbies, both played at the Metropolitano, were for the rojiblancos.

The Argentine coach's total balance, on the other hand, is negative against Real Madrid.

Since he came to the bench 11 years ago,

Simeone

has obtained 11 victories, 11 draws and 18 defeats in 40 matches.

The hardest ones, those of the two Champions League finals that even made him think about whether to continue in the red and white team.

Gone is that suffering and also the time, between 2000 and 2013, when Atlético was unable to win a game against its great rival.

But the arrival of

Simeone

changed everything.

"They are the best team in the world," the Argentine conceded in a press conference and later concluded: "They can score goals in many ways and that is why they win almost every game, but we compete well."

Definitive Griezmann

The goals from

Riquelme

and especially from

Griezmann

, a great goal praised by Simeone at a press conference for Vinicius' pursuit of the Frenchman and for his perfect finish, tipped the balance in an extra time that "lately always went the other way," he said. Koke Resurrection in the postgame.

Despite the victory, the Argentine admitted that Madrid arrived with less preparation time for this match, something that the Atlético captain also did, although both admitted that "they deserved the victory" and especially

Griezmann

, as revealed by

Koke

, to finish the tribute that the club did to him at the beginning of the crash.

A victory that the rojiblancos also wanted to dedicate to their people whose spirits reminded Cholo of that European tie against Liverpool.

"I liked the bus thing, but above all winning. The people were even better than us," commented Koke.