Ahead of Saturday's UEFA Champions League final, we break
down how Atletico Madrid set up an enticing clash with city rivals Real Madrid.
Atletico, who claimed their first La Liga title since
1996 on Saturday, have stunned observers this season, and have replicated their
domestic exploits in Europe's premier club competition by reaching the final
for the first time since 1974.
Here is a game-by-game guide of how Diego Simeone's side
made it all the way to the showpiece at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
September 18 - Atletico Madrid 3 Zenit 1
Atletico opened their campaign in comfortable fashion,
easily dispatching of Zenit on home turf. Goals from Arda Turan and Leo
Baptistao sealed victory in the second half after Hulk had cancelled out
Miranda's opener.
October 1 - Porto 1 Atletico Madrid 2
Simeone's men appeared to be heading for defeat in their
second and arguably toughest group game at Porto when Jackson Martinez put the
hosts ahead after 16 minutes, but Atletico demonstrated great resolve and
claimed the points thanks to second-half strikes from Diego Godin and Turan.
October 22 - Austria Vienna 0 Atletico Madrid 3
Atletico barely had to exert any energy to overcome Group
G minnows Austria Vienna, a double from top scorer Diego Costa making sure of a
third straight victory following Raul Garcia's early effort.
November 6 - Atletico Madrid 4 Austria Vienna 0
The return fixture with Vienna two weeks later produced
an even more comprehensive victory for Atletico as they clinched Group G's top
spot in emphatic fashion. Miranda, Garcia, Filipe Luis and Costa all found the
net to ensure progression.
November 26 - Zenit 1 Atletico Madrid 1
Atletico could have been forgiven for taking their foot
off the gas after winning the group, but still managed a creditable result in
Russia. Adrian Lopez gave the visitors the lead early in the second half, but a
Toby Alderweireld own-goal earned a share of the spoils for Zenit.
December 11 - Atletico Madrid 2 Porto 0
The draw with Zenit proved to be the dropped points of
Atletico's group phase, and Simeone's team firmly displayed their intentions
for the competition by eliminating Porto as goalscorers Garcia and Costa proved
their considerable talents once again.
February 19 - Milan 0 Atletico Madrid 1
Milan had laboured into the knock-out rounds, however,
Atletico still found it difficult to break them down in the first leg of the
last-16 tie at San Siro. But it was that man Costa who was the hero once again
as his 83rd-minute header sealed a precious away win.
March 11 - Atletico Madrid 4 Milan 1 (5-1 agg)
Any hopes Milan may have had of turning the tie around
were brutally ended in the return leg, with Costa again displaying his prowess
in front of goal as his double helped condemn the seven-time winners to a
humiliating exit.
April 1 - Barcelona 1 Atletico Madrid 1
Atletico went into their quarter-final with domestic rivals
Barcelona as underdogs, but produced a defiant performance to claim a draw in a
game that saw Costa come off injured in the first half. Diego's stunning
long-range effort put Atletico in front, only for Neymar to bring Barca level
in the 71st minute.
April 9 - Atletico Madrid 1 Barcelona 0 (2-1 agg)
Costa was not able to return for the second leg, and that
only served to make Atletico's triumph all the more surprising. Koke's
fifth-minute volley made sure of a deserved semi-final berth in a contest that
saw Atletico hit the crossbar three times in the opening 20 minutes.
April 22 - Atletico Madrid 0 Chelsea 0
Atletico failed to score for the first time in the
competition as Chelsea stood firm in a dour first leg despite losing goalkeeper
Petr Cech through injury, leaving it all to play for in the return outing at
Stamford Bridge.
April 30 - Chelsea 1 Atletico Madrid 3 (1-3 agg)
Chelsea's approach understandably changed in the second
leg, and Atletico appeared to be on their way out when Fernando Torres struck
the opener for the hosts against his former club. However, Adrian quickly
levelled matters before a Costa penalty and Turan's header completed the
turnaround to set up the first Champions League final between two teams from
the same city.
Culled from Soccerway
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