Atletico battles both history and insecurity

MADRID - For all the changes coach Diego Simeone has made at Atletico Madrid, one thing remains the same - an inferiority complex when faced with its richer, more successful cross-city rival Real Madrid.

Atletico faces a huge task to overturn a 3-0 semifinal first-leg deficit if it is to avoid elimination at the hands of Real in the Champions League for a fourth consecutive season in the last European game ever to be played at Atletico's Vicente Calderon stadium on Wednesday.

Simeone has been in charge for what he described as "nearly six marvelous years."

In that time he has led Atletico to its first league title in 18 years, ended a 14-year winless streak against Real and put the club back on the map in Europe.

But the losses in the past three seasons have been all the more heartbreaking because they've come by the slimmest of margins.

Real equalized in the 93rd minute of the 2014 final en route to winning its long-awaited 10th European Cup. Another late goal edged a quarterfinal tie 1-0 in 2015, and last year it took a penalty shootout to separate the two when they again met in the final.

For the first time, last week's first leg truly showed the gulf that still exists between the sides in terms of resources.

Real's financial muscle even threatens to break up this Atletico side.

Theo Hernandez looks set to become the first player to cross the Madrid divide since 2000 this summer.

A move for the 19-year-old is seen as Real's first step to breaking a gentleman's agreement not to poach Atletico's best players ahead of a bid to snatch their top scorer, Antoine Griezmann, in 2018.

A huge banner held by Real fans before the Bernabeau kickoff last Tuesday read: "Tell me how does it feel?"

Unbowed

And yet as the stadium emptied nearly two hours later, it was Atletico fans, beaten but unbowed, who sang the club's anthem.

That scene was repeated as Atletico fans remained behind after Saturday's 1-0 win over Eibar, demanding the team return to the pitch from the dressing room to serenade them with chants of "proud of our players."

That loyalty in the face of adversity is in marked contrast to the demands put upon Real's players.

Even after scoring hat-tricks against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals and Atletico last week, Real's all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo said "all he wanted" from the home fans was not to be jeered.

"Know how to win, know how to lose, #theycannotunderstand" Atletico posted pointedly on the club's Twitter feed on Sunday.

"Don't stop believing," has also been a consistent emblem of Simeone's time in charge of Atletico, and both his players and the club's legion of supporters have embraced the mantra.

Positive

The Argentine has been relentlessly positive over the past week in the midst of Atletico's despair.

"We have to do something impossible ... and being Atletico Madrid, we might be capable of it," he said immediately after the first leg.

Atletico's home record under Simeone in the Champions League does give some small cause for optimism.

Los Rojiblancos have won 17 and drawn four of their 21 Champions League home games in the past four years, with 17 shutouts.

Of those results, though, only those gained against modest opponents like Austria Vienna, Olympiakos, Malmo and Astana would be enough for Atletico to go through.

Most Atletico fans would be satisfied to settle for finally beating Real in the last European match ever played at the Calderon - even if it's not enough to stop their bitterest rivals from making the final once more.

Agence France - Presse