Real Madrid overcame the ordeal and got into the quarter finals from the penalty spot
The Euro derby became an insurmountable anguish. 70,000 people gathered in the stands of the Metropolitano on the day that Jesús Gil would have turned 92. Enrique Cerezo wanted to dedicate the victory to him, but he also wanted it all to be over quickly and for people to be able to go home by 11 p.m.
Fate had prepared a physical battle at the highest level. Impossible for those who were not in top condition. And that was precisely what happened to Mbappé and Vinicius, neither of them felt like playing. The Frenchman has mysterious physical problems, although everything is disguised as a toothache. The Brazilian lives facing the stands and has become a toxic player for his own dressing room.
Bellingham's public outburst in extra time for not defending a ball tooth and nail ended with a bewildered Vinicius asking the bench what he could do, perhaps due to a lack of physical fitness. Ancelotti didn't help either, true to his conservative style in the changes he didn't give way to Endrick until the 115th minute with penalties on the horizon.
This apathy on the part of the Whites could have cost Real Madrid dearly. Gallagher's goal came after just 30 seconds following a series of errors that ended with a shot from the English player in the six-yard box. Simeone had the game where he wanted it and, at that moment, he began to play his cards. Atleti (as UEFA labelled them on television, instead of Atlético de Madrid) sat back to launch counter-attacks on any Madrid passing errors. Ancelotti's men moved the windscreen from side to side without any depth, while Julián Álvarez and Giuliano tested Courtois, who held the team together at the worst moments.
Half-time was the best thing that could have happened to Real Madrid, along with Tchouaméni's yellow card in the 39th minute. Something that made Ancelotti react, and it took him another 20 minutes to make the appropriate substitutions. Modric left the field exhausted and without contributing much, and Tchouaméni himself paid for the yellow card with the substitution. Lucas Vázquez and Camavinga came on, forcing Valverde to return to the centre of the pitch.
Real Madrid transformed and Simeone did not move his team. The petrol started to run out and, finally, Real Madrid found spaces to run into. Mbappé went to war against two defenders and Lenglet committed a penalty that could have ended in a red card. Vinicius completed his disconnection by sending the ball into the clouds and condemning his team to continue with the agony.
The gestures to the stands pointing to the Champions League patch had him more focused than the game itself, even at the end, after the penalties, he decided that it was better to show the stands a Real Madrid pen to provoke the fans than to go with his teammates to celebrate the pass with the 4,000 white fans who had spent more than six hours cheering on their team.
Brahim and Fran García gave the Whites a lifeline. Mendy was injured after another mediocre game, together with a weak Rüdiger, both of whom were helped by Asencio, the new ‘kaiser’ of the Madrid defence who, however, will be relegated to the bench in hypothetical Cup or Champions League finals if Militao recovers in time. Ancelotti's way. The ordeal continued into dramatic extra time where the players could hardly run and think at the same time. The physical exhaustion in the month of March is due to the accumulation of matches. League, Cup, plus Champions League... anything goes as long as it feeds an industry that will soon collapse.
In the penalty shoot-out, the kid came back. The adjective that Cholo had banished appeared in the form of a two-line article in the rules that says that a player cannot touch the ball twice before taking a penalty and, if he does, it is not retaken, it is considered a miss. It couldn't have been worse. Julián Álvarez brushed the ball with his standing foot before shooting, Courtois saw it, the Real Madrid bench did too and VAR confirmed the double touch. Lucas Vázquez missed and equalised on penalties, but Llorente hit his shot against the woodwork, although the Whites' goalkeeper had guessed the right side. Endrick had to take the final penalty, but the look on the Brazilian's face when he heard the news from Ancelotti himself must have been priceless. The Italian spotted it and 'we chose Antonio', who didn't miss.
Simeone wanted to encourage the fans. To ask them to be on their team's side after the epic defeat, but a derby hurts, two Champions League finals more and being left out of Europe at the hands of your eternal rival is another wound that will take time to heal. Real Madrid went through without playing at all, with players disconnected and serious problems scoring goals. In any case, Arsenal awaits. Arteta's men will meet the king of Europe, with the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
