The Rojiblancos' campaign would effectively be over if they were to lose to Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday
As Antonio Rudiger raced away to celebrate with his team-mates after converting the decisive spot-kick in Real Madrid's shootout win over city rivals Atletico, Diego Simeone made a beeline for his disconsolate players. The message was clear: keep your heads up, you've done yourselves and your club proud. Then, the coach turned to fans and urged them to applaud a side that had given its all but once again come up agonisingly short in a Champions League tie against their neighbours from across the Spanish capital.
This was a particularly bitter pill for Atleti to swallow, though, as an incredibly controversial call had ultimately proved decisive, with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruling out Julian Alvarez's converted penalty in the shootout for a 'double touch' that was neither deliberate nor obvious even in the multiple video replays that followed. Consequently, despite Simeone's best efforts to lift his players, centre-back Clement Lenglet admitted that they were all still in a "state of shock" in the dressing room.
"We produced a massive performance from start to finish," he told after Atleti had won 1-0 on the night to draw 2-2 on aggregate. "I think we deserved [to win] as a team, a club, for the fans and their support, which helped us a lot. But we will handle the blow to our morale in the days ahead. We have a lot of work left to do, we have important things to play for, the season doesn't end today."
It might on Wednesday, though, as it appears as if Atletico still haven't come to terms with their desperately unfortunate Champions League elimination on March 12…
Getty Images SportBarcelona setback
Just four days after their latest heart-breaking loss to Real, Atleti hosted Barcelona in a league game of crucial importance to La Liga's title race. The Rojiblancos had blown the chance to go top the weekend before by conceding twice after Angel Correa had been shown a straight red card in the 88th minute to lose 2-1 at Getafe – but they suffered an even more devastating collapse against the Catalans.
Atleti had initially exhibited no ill-effects from their derby defeat and led 2-0 after 70 minutes of play at the Metropolitano thanks to goals from strikers Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth. However, as soon as Robert Lewandowski pulled one back for Barca, the hosts capitulated, and ended up losing 4-2, with Ferran Torres equalising and then netting again after Lamine Yamal's deflected effort had put Hansi Flick's side ahead in injury time.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesSimeone hits out
Simeone was obviously asked for his thoughts on losing two such important games in such demoralising fashion, but he was keen to draw a line between the defeats to Madrid and Barca and, in doing so, illustrated that he wasn't over Alvarez's disallowed penalty.
"We did very well in the Champions League," the former midfielder said. "We competed well, we won the second leg but [the game] finished as UEFA had [already] decided. We won but we were eliminated. So, I don't consider it a blow. What happened was very clear…
"Against Barcelona, it was a different situation. We were exposed to a very dangerous team, and they scored four goals in 20 minutes."
Simeone's frustration with the nature of his side's European exit was certainly understandable. The 'double-touch' rule is ridiculous and is now rightly being reviewed by the game's lawmakers, with a change in interpretation seemingly inevitable.
AFP'Feeling of peace'
It also didn't help that the incident occurred in a game against Real, who have seen an awful lot of contentious decisions go their way over the past decade, while at the same time inflicting nothing but misery on Atletico whenever the two teams have collided in continental competition on Simeone's watch.
Nonetheless, the Argentine sounded defiant rather than defeated in his post-match press conference. "When you get knocked out, it is not easy to digest but this team gave everything and deserved applause [at the end]," he told reporters. "We played an incredible game with a lot of energy, power, effort and team play. We controlled a team with very good footballers.
"I am proud of my players. I am pleased because we competed in an exemplary way. Yes, we've not managed to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League, but they had a tough time every time against us. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get through this tie, but I go out with a feeling of peace."
It didn't last long, though…
Getty Images Sport'Anger, rage and injustice'
Simeone couldn't even resist bringing up the shootout controversy the massive match against Barca. "I usually always talk about the other team but, this time, the situation warrants an explanation of my feelings," he explained. "It's anger, rage, injustice… But from my position, the only thing I have the power to do is work so the team can continue competing as it does. We understand our fans, and obviously the feeling that all of us at Atletico have is anger, rage and injustice."
Again, understandable, but also unhelpful. Indeed, it's now hard to shake the suspicion that Simeone should have spent more time focusing on his side's struggles in the closing stages of games rather than the fallout from the 'double-touch' decision – because that's the issue he can actually do something about.
The hope was that the international break would have allowed Simeone and Atletico to not only put the Alvarez affair behind them but also address their worrying and costly propensity for fading in games. However, they were pegged back once again on Saturday, with Javier Puado's equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Espanyol meaning that Simeone's side have now conceded seven times in the final 20 minutes of their last three Liga games – resulting in the loss of eight points, which has seen them drop to third in the table, six points behind Real and nine adrift of Barca.
Given the respective form of the two teams above them, Atleti's title challenge is effectively over with nine rounds remaining, and there's an undeniable air of uncertainty around the Metropolitano right now, particularly with Andrea Berta, the close confidante of Simeone's who constructed the 2021 title-winning squad, having this week been confirmed as Arsenal's new sporting director.