Atletico Madrid Crushes Real Madrid in a Historical Win of 4-0

By: Mohamed Zerari

 

 

Picture taken from the independent.co.uk

Real Madrid was mauled again after a painful loss against Atletico Madrid in the Vincente Calderon Stadium on February 7th.

The match was expected to be a heated, gruesome clash of two great talents of the Spanish League. However, Real Madrid seemed to have been lost in translation since the game started. Real’s defense line was not as sturdy as expected, making it easy for the hungry rivals to shower them with attacks until a goal was scored 15 minutes in by Atletico’s Tiago Mendes. Four minutes later, Saul Niguez scored an unbelievable over-the-head kick, deepening Real Madrid’s wounds and forcing the game’s tempo to speed up.

Real Madrid’s unease at the exceptional level of their opponents was evident since the beginning of the match. Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to score or at least make a decisive pass but all of his attempts were thwarted by the rigid defense of Atletico Madrid. The fragile defense line of the “meringue” remained the same in the second half when Antoine Griezmann scored the third goal for Atletico Madrid, making it almost impossible for Real Madrid to make a come back. It was clear that Atletico Madrid players took advantage of the absence of major defenders such as Pepe, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo from Real’s defense line. Atletico’s coach, Diego Simeone, led the team to victory against Real Madrid twice in a row: in the Copa Del Rey and then in La Liga.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said to the BBC, “We were a mess and lost all our aerial battles. None of our players had a good game.”

Nevertheless, the joy of football is never forgotten when exceptional athletes are given the opportunity to demonstrate exclusive skills and pure talent, making La Liga one of its own kind. Despite the harsh loss to Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid is still leading the ranking with 54 points. The next game, on February 14th, against Real Club Deportivo will determine whether or not Real Madrid can continue to keep their heads up.