Atletico Madrid 2 – 1 Real Madrid: 4 thoughts after the Champions League semifinals

The comeback was on, until it wasn’t.

Atletico Madrid stormed out of the gates with the intensity that they needed to keep their hopes alive. It was a monumental task to overcome a 3 goal deficit with no away goals to hang their hats on, but for the first 25 minutes or so of the match, it looked like Simeone’s men might have found the formula.

They harassed and harangued Madrid’s players with an intense press that caused problems in Madrid’s back line. Scoring off of header from a corner, and a penalty won after a tough physical challenge in the box by Varane, this was looking like vintage Atletico Madrid.

Atleti landed two huge body punches with their goals, and Madrid was stumbling around dazed. Fortunately, they couldn’t land the knockout punch to go even with Madrid.

Zidane’s men kept their composure and locked the match down until the 42^nd minute, keeping possession and preventing Atleti from building on their momentum.

Then, Isco snatched all the wind out of their sails by scoring the crucial away goal. After Isco scored, Atleti would have needed to score 3 more goals while still preventing Madrid from scoring another. It was a task too far.

Benzema should take huge credit for the creation of the goal, as his precise hold-up play on the edge of the box created the powerful shot for Kroos, as Isco was waiting to gobble up the rebound off Oblak’s desperation block.

Atleti kept on fighting during the second half, but you could gradually see the belief slipping away from their players.  Keylor Navas played a big part in preventing Atleti from finding anything else in this match, as he made a number of crucial saves to keep Atleti from getting their third.

Sergio Ramos also played really well, which was surprising given his early yellow card for yelling at the referee. Ramos knew he had to maintain his control, both over the game and over his temper. Madrid could not afford to go man down as they had against Barcelona. Ramos delivered, too, making two tackles, five interceptions, and thirteen (!!!) clearances (Whoscored).

While it was terrifying to watch Real Madrid concede two early goals, Zidane’s men did an excellent job not crumbling under the pressure. They regained control, didn’t panic, and kept circulating the ball until a chance fell to them.

Then, Los Blancos took their chance, as they have so many times before.

Real Madrid have now scored in 61 consecutive games in all competitions, an all-time record.

Playing a crucial role in the build-up to the goal was the oft-maligned Karim Benzema. It’s true that Benzema doesn’t have the clinicality that people expect from top class strikers.

However, that build-up play shows why Zidane has put so much faith in Benzema, even with Morata nipping at his heels. Benzema calmly held the ball along the touchline, then tapped it between his feet beyond three Atleti players before playing in Kroos for the shot.