Tag: Atletico Madrid

Antoine Griezmann plainly avoids congratulating Champions League winner Raphael Varane with rest of…

Club rivalries hilariously bleed into national team activities

It’s often asserted that when national teams convene, club rivalries are put aside. Antoine Griezmann isn’t having that, though.

When Raphael Varane joined France’s training camp late after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, his teammates and coaches warmly greeted him, offering their congratulations on his accomplishment. As this was happening, Griezmann—who recently reaffirmed his commitment to Atletico Madrid, Real’s local rival and the club they eliminated in the Champions League semifinals—pointedly slipped right by him without a word.

Later, at a team meal, France manager Didier Deschamps called out Varane and led a round of applause for him, but Griezmann was the only one who didn’t clap. Instead, he appeared to say something to Varane, presumably something to the effect of “Cristiano Ronaldo’s new haircut looks super dumb.”

I’m not sure what the players ended up eating at this meal, but Griezmann dumped a whole lot of salt on whatever it was.

Some might call this behavior petty or unsportsmanlike, but I’m sure Varane wasn’t bothered by it, so no one else should be either. It’s ultimately just kind of funny that Griezmann would express his simmering bitterness this way.

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Jan Oblak makes incredible triple save to help Atletico to Champions League quarterfinals

Even Iker Casillas’ emojis were impressed

(Atletico Madrid/Twitter)

Atletico Madrid held Bayer Leverkusen to a 0–0 draw, allowing them to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals on an aggregate score of 4–2. Given the scoreless result of the second leg, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Atletico keeper Jan Oblak was the standout performer, but his greatest moment of the match was downright stunning, especially to Bayer.

During the second half, Oblak made three saves in rapid succession—each one more impressive than the last—before Chicharito finally put a fourth shot wide of the net, giving Oblak respite enough to collapse, having released every ounce of his considerable talent.

https://streamable.com/w039n

Even Iker Casillas, former captain of Atletico’s rivals Real Madrid, felt compelled to express his awe at Oblak’s achievement.

After the match, Oblak seemed unimpressed with his actions, though. From Reuters:

“Sometimes you make three saves, and sometimes they score a goal with the first attempt. It is difficult to explain. I saw the ball and went for it. I reacted quickly and everything went well for me,” Oblak told reporters.

“Yeah, for you everything goes well…” Claudio Bravo mutters under his breath after reading that.


https://upscri.be/16bb19/

Fernando Torres gives us the gift of hope

An important life lesson in the form of a spectacular overhead kick

(Atletico Madrid/Twitter)

One question has followed Fernando Torres throughout his career: “How did he do that?”

During his first stint with Atletico Madrid and his time at Liverpool, the question was asked as he scored at will—leaving befuddled defenders in his wake. During his time at Chelsea and Milan, the same question was asked as the once dominant player missed unmissable shots with almost impressive regularity.

Now, having regained a slice of his original form with his return to Atletico, Torres has once again prompted the question “How did he do that?” by scoring a remarkable overhead goal against Celta Vigo.

That’s a 32-year-old Fernando Torres making an infrequent start for Atletico and scoring a goal that he wouldn’t have dared to attempt six years ago when he was both the most expensive and most laughed at player in the history of British football. He has now scored three goals in his last three matches and should serve as an inspiration to anyone who has lost confidence in themselves.

https://whatahowler.com/fernando-torres-and-the-perils-of-coming-home-e38f13d88f84

It doesn’t matter how many embarrassing situations you’ve endured, Fernando Torres scoring this goal proves that you can achieve the impossible if you just keep trying.

And just to prove that life has a way of maintaining a cosmic balance, Torres also missed a penalty in this match, as well. But Atletico still won 3–2, so that’s not important.


Atletico Madrid fan suing UEFA, Mark Clattenburg over Champions League final goal

Big-game bitterness goes a step too far


In the 15th minute of the 2016 Champions League final, Sergio Ramos scored to put Real Madrid up 1–0 over Atletico Madrid. Ramos appeared to be offside when he scored, but referee Mark Clattenburg allowed the goal to stand. In the second half, Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty, but Yannick Carrasco scored in the 79th minute to send the match to extra time, then a shootout, which Real Madrid won 5–3.

This being the second time in three years that Real Madrid beat Atletico in a Champions League final made the result especially difficult to handle Los Rojiblancos supporters. One fan in particular feels someone must pay for this result, though. As in actual money. So he’s suing both UEFA and Clattenburg in Spanish court

From AS:

The claim made by Rojiblanco supporter José Antonio Campón is for a total of €1,660 euros (€160 for the price of the ticket and €1500 for “moral damage” caused) and, as is written in the official suit document, fingers the blame at UEFA for “not applying all means to safeguard the fulfillments of regulations and choose persons (Clattenburg) who did not fulfill their duty as would be demanded”.

MORAL DAMAGE! That’s a laughable claim, but Campón’s flawed logic only gets more flawed:

“If you go to the cinema and there is no sound, they give you back your money,” he said. “This is the same thing. There is a regulation and it has been breached. It is negligence and in your job, and when you are negligent you pay the consequences. That is why we address the claim to the employer (UEFA) and his employee (Clattenburg) as responsible.”

Comparing an audio malfunction at a movie theater to a controversial goal in a football match is flat out stupid. By this line of thinking, should Griezmann also be sued for not putting a shot on target with his penalty? Should Atletico’s defenders pay out for not containing Sergio Ramos? Should their goalkeeper be punished for not stopping a single spot kick in the shootout?

https://www.gettyimages.com/license/536024790

The reason Campón is targeting UEFA and Clattenburg is to highlight the need for video technology in football, but a frivolous lawsuit seems unlikely to be the instrument of change on that front. If anything, all this is likely to do is give Cristiano Ronaldo the idea to sue his teammates when they don’t pass to him.


https://upscri.be/16bb19

Luis Suarez doesn’t want footballers talking about all the things he does to them on the pitch

Following a challenge that left his opponent with a bloody hole in his foot, Luis Suarez reportedly shouted “You dived, clown!” at Atletico Madrid’s Filipe Luis. Shortly after the match, Luis shared a photo of the damage Suarez did to his foot on Instagram, along with the caption “At least he didn’t touch me!”

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Sergio Ramos compares Champions League final to sex because he’s Sergio Ramos

In what can only be seen as an attempt to fuel the production of fan fiction about himself, Sergio Ramos has compared playing in the Champions League final to having sex.

From the Guardian:

“The first time is like when you make love: you always remember it … but then it’s true that you can improve because to start with you’re a disaster,” Ramos joked.

“The first time always has a special taste. I was the protagonist for a great goal,” he said. “But I am optimistic, very ambitious, and I prefer to keep turning the page and adding [trophies] to my CV. Hopefully I will have the chance to lift the trophy.”

Jokes about first sexual experiences usual involve references to quick finishes, but Ramos’ equalizer in the 2014 final came in the 93rd minute, setting up Real Madrid’s extra-time goalkakke.

He better hope this first-time success doesn’t make him overconfident and lead him to score at the wrong end in the rematch against Atletico. Because accident anal is definitely the sexual equivalent to an own goal.