Atletico Madrid are too tough for Barcelona and maybe the rest too

Is there a tougher team to play against in Europe than Atletico Madrid?

Atletico Madrid defeated reigning champions Barcelona 2-0 on Wednesday night to complete a 3-2 aggregate win in their Champions League quarter-final. Are Atletico the toughest team in Europe? Adam Bate gives his verdict from the Vicente Calderon...

Juntos Hacia La Victoria. Together to victory. That was the message adorning the Vicente Calderon prior to their Champions League quarter-final showdown with Barcelona. And so it proved as the reigning champions were ousted from the competition thanks to a 2-0 win for the home side.

Atletico knock out Barcelona

Antonie Griezmann's brace helped eliminate Europe's defending champions.

It's the second time in three seasons that Atletico Madrid have knocked them out at this stage. In between, Barca have been imperious but here they were rendered insipid at the hands of Diego Simeone's side. Atleti are surely the toughest team to play against in Europe.

Europa League - Today

LiverpoolvDortmund

Dortmund7/5
Liverpool19/10
Draw13/5

LiverpoolvDortmund

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Score and Dortmund to Win in 90 Mins11/4

The stats had indicated that the majority of teams who'd lost the away leg 2-1, as Atletico had done, went on to be eliminated - and that didn't even take into account the formidable opposition that Simeone's side were up against.

But this is Atletico Madrid and they're not a team to face knowing that a 1-0 win is enough. That had been the scoreline the last time Barca had visited the Calderon in this competition two years ago. The last time too that Barca had failed to score in a Champions League game.

Atletico Madrid have kept a clean sheet in 13 of their last 15 Champions League matches at the Vicente Calderon.

Ultimately, Atletico improved on that 1-0 win and netted twice, Antoine Griezmann adding a late penalty to his first-half header. And while Barca were denied their own spot-kick with moments remaining, Luis Enrique acknowledged that it would have been scarcely deserved.
"They were better than us," said the Barca coach afterwards. Perhaps he was aware that the prospect of a further 30 minutes in a throbbing Calderon would only have served to highlight the futility of their task.
It's far from a hoodoo, of course. Barca had won the previous seven meetings going into this game. But with their form having dipped, there was an air of inevitability to things from early on. Certainly, the sight of Atletico with the bit between their teeth is quite something.

Being Atletico means being tenacious, competitive, never giving up and overcoming difficulties. We know there are better teams than us. But we know we can compete.

Diego Simeone

"Being Atletico means being tenacious, competitive, never giving up and overcoming difficulties," said Simeone on the eve of the match. "We know there are better teams than us. But we know we can compete." He revels in that carefully cultivated underdog role.
So do the fans. They cheered as Filipe Luis dispossessed Lionel Messi and the noise grew louder when Diego Godin and Juanfran each went in hard on Neymar within a minute. Luis Suarez was twice fouled in his own half as attacks were shut down before they could start.
Even the opening goal came as a result of Atletico's work when out of possession. Boxing Barca in by their own corner flag, Jordi Alba could only reach Gabi with his clearance and when the skipper fed Saul Niguez, his clever cross found Griezmann unmarked in the centre.

Antoine Griezmann was the man who got the goals that eliminated Barcelona

"The idea was to pull a goal back in the first half and fight for every ball," explained Simeone afterwards. Well, the idea worked perfectly. As Luis Enrique put it: "They did what they do best." Atletico had just 29 per cent of the ball in the opening 45 minutes but they also had the majority of the chances.

The numbers illustrate the obvious - Atletico really can defend. So while some mourn the exit from the competition of Europe's pass masters, arguably the easiest side on the eye, perhaps they should cherish the victory of the continent's best organised side instead.