Atletico became the winner of the Spanish Football Championship for the 11th time. Thanks to a strong-willed 2-1 away victory over Valladolid, the Madrid club at the end of the tournament retained a two-point lead over Real Madrid, who beat Villarreal at home with the same result. This is the second title that Atlético have won under the guidance of Argentine coach Diego Simeone, who has led the team for ten years.
The situation before the last round of the Spanish championship in the fight for gold did not imply compromises either in Valladolid, where the hosts hosted Atlético, or in Madrid, where Real Madrid met with Villarreal. Two points behind the first place allowed the “royal club” to count on the title only if it won, while the leader had to lose points in the confrontation with one of the outsiders.
However, in the first half, both Madrid teams were embarrassed. At first, Atlético overlooked a counterattack, completed by Oscar Plano, who escaped from the defenders from his half of the field. Having learned about this, sitting in the reserve of Real Madrid stars Sergio Ramos and Marcelo cheered up sharply. But after a couple of minutes before their very eyes, Eremi Pino, a Villarreal midfielder, distinguished himself, whose comrades, not without the help of a rebound, surprisingly easily outplayed the defenses of others and brought the 18-year-old partner to strike.
However, the climax in the correspondence confrontation between Atlético and Real Madrid came about ten minutes after the break. While in Madrid, with the help of VAR, Karim Benzema scored a goal from a small offside, in Valladolid, Angel Correa equalized the score from the free kick from the toe, that is, the classic speck. The last to say his weighty word that evening was the famous Uruguayan Luis Suarez, who in September last year moved to Atlético from Barcelona, having failed to get into Juventus. His goal was very beautiful and was very similar to that of Valladolid, as it was scored in much the same way – as a result of a counterattack with the participation of one player. Finally, in Madrid, Luka Modric, already in stoppage time, nevertheless brought Real Madrid a victory, but this was no longer of fundamental importance. Atlético is the champion.
For the third most important Spanish grandee, this is 11th gold, and in this indicator it is significantly surpassed by both Real (34-time Spanish champion) and the remaining only third Barcelona (26-time).
But the fact that Atlético, as in 2014, interrupted the hegemony of the two most titled Spanish clubs, is absolutely natural. After all, it was he who led most of the championship, and after the 23rd round, the advantage of Atletico over the closest pursuer was calculated by nine points. True, March and April did not work out very well for him, as a result of which Barcelona took the lead in the 32nd round, but in the 33rd round, Atletico restored the status quo, in the 35th they achieved a goalless draw at Camp Nou, and at the finish, showing character, he won three very difficult victories with the same score – 2: 1.
And, of course, it should be noted that this championship was won at the finish of the second five-year period, which Atlético held under the leadership of Diego Simeone. The rational style instilled in the team by the Argentine specialist – by the way, by its former midfielder, is not particularly spectacular. But he again proved to be effective. Unsurprisingly, according to ESPN, Atlético’s contract with Diego Simeone, which ends one season later, is about to be extended until summer 2024. It is significant that during the time that Diego Simeone has been working at Atletico Madrid, six head coaches have changed at Real Madrid and Barcelona.
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