Atlético win Spanish Supercopa

Atlético Madrid continue to string together incredible feats. Now there are no more complexes, no more dark clouds hanging over the Calderón, no more negative records. After a 15-year wait, Atlético finally defeated Real Madrid in the Calderón; after 28 consecutive games without tasting defeat, Iker Casillas was on the losing side in a Madrid derby. The victory, furthermore, served as an exorcism after what happened in Lisbon. On Friday Sergio Ramos again had the goal at his mercy in the 92nd minute but this time headed wide. A minute later, Cristiano Ronaldo picked up a yellow card. Times have changed. And for the better, judging by what has been seen.

The novelty was that the goal arrived before battle had been joined. Mario Mandzukic scored with 90 seconds on the clock. Notice had already been served in the first minute. It was a move that came straight from Diego Simeone's whiteboard – a long ball from Miguel Ángel Moyá – and it caught Madrid's central defenders on the back foot. Raphael Varane couldn't cope with Mandzukic and Sergio Ramos couldn't get above the 1.76-meter tall Antoine Griezmann, who nodded the ball into the Croatian's path to slot past Casillas for his first competitive Atlético goal.

Long balls and set pieces were a curse for Real throughout the match. In this aspect the team seems underprepared, and for that the finger of blame must be pointed at Ancelotti. On the other hand, the game played out as a carbon copy of the first leg: Atlético defended well and Madrid went forward poorly. Nothing is as welcomed by a defence as a predictable attack and Real's every move was phoned ahead.

It took Real too long to realize that Atlético would dominate everything except the unexpected. That is to day switching positions, pushing Dani Carvajal up to combine with James Rodríguez. Creating sparks. They did not achieve this until the 24th minute, just before a mini-storm that ended with the expulsion of Simeone.

Let us linger on the affair. Simeone is a person who comes across well. He is personable and his authenticity is not in doubt, and neither are his credentials as a manager; he is quite possibly the best in the world if we use a formula of performance based on resources. However, he goes too far when he overacts, when he wants to be a coach and Che Guevara at the same time. After winning the league, and after Atlético had spent 95 million euros during the summer, El Cholo should leave the guerrilla war behind. In any case, he himself has debunked his own theory: Atlético can compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona, and beat them, as we saw last season and as we have seen in this Supercopa.

His dismissal was scarcely heroic. He protested without restraint and even cuffed the back of the fourth official's neck. If he wants to be a hero next time he should clip the neck of the Federation's refereeing chief, Victoriano Sánchez Arminio and forget the middle men. Finally, when he was invited to leave the field he applauded the referee and spurred the crowd on. He lost his reason and in the first instance he was correct: Juanfran was waiting to be readmitted onto the field and Real were pushing harder than ever.

The storm passed, but Madrid had understood at least how some winds blow. James was involved in the four most relevant chances his team created: two left-footed shots, a header and a pass to Gareth Bale.

But we must not lose sight of the fact that Atlético was the master of the match. The home side carved out the best chances, concretely Raúl García's, who could have doubled and then trebled Atlético's advantage. When their opponent was scrabbling, the hosts made use of their weapons, of the power of feeling superior, taller, more read and better led.

In the second half Cristiano Ronaldo came on for Toni Kroos and Madrid went from predictable to chaotic. The visitor lost control and Atlético had many chances on the break. Matters became worse for Real when Ancelotti substituted James, his team's best player on the night, for Isco. For that the Italian must also shoulder the blame. Real's impotence contrasted more sharply than ever with the aplomb of Atlético, worthy winners of the Supercopa. Simeone doesn't need Che Guevara's beret to keep on breaking down barriers.

from Últimas noticias | Diario AS http://ift.tt/1pRUpK4

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