The sides who failed to produce a result over 270 minutes of football have shown that another 90 minutes wouldn’t suffice to separate them. The stage was set for a cracker of an all-Spanish quarter-final as the La Liga contenders headed into the game, on a high. The game lived up to its hype, with a major portion of it going by the script as the Catalans dominated possession and Simeone’s men managed to pose a serious threat on the break. However, the night at the Camp Nou had its fair share of bizarre events in the form of injuries of key players, leading to early substitutions. The Catalan giants dictated the game, opening up the well-organized defense of Atletico on a couple of occasions in the first half. It was all Barcelona until the door was smashed to smithereens by…err any guesses? Yes, once again the day is saved, thanks to Diego Cos…...correction Diego Ribas. One wouldn’t put his money on the in-form Courtois who had a brilliant outing, to save Diego Ribas’ rocket and Jose Pinto was just as helpless. However, Barca showed tremendous character to fight their way back and the arrears were cut down owing to the 3 second magic by Iniesta & Neymar. It was a cracker of a game with momentum oscillating between the two and the football fans can expect a 2nd leg akin to the 1st one. Now moving on to a glance at the talking points:
#1 Super subs Bartra & Diego
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Both Barcelona & Atletico Madrid lost key players to injuries and were forced to make early substitutions. Despite the quality present in Bartra & Diego, it irks the fans to see players of Pique & Costa’s stature being taken off early in a neck-to-neck game. Surprisingly, the substitutes pulled a rabbit out of the hat, putting up an impressive performance.
It wasn’t Koke or Turan who was on the score-sheet but Diego Ribas, with a screamer of a goal. While on the other hand, Marc Bartra was making heads turn, showing superb maturity to deal with Diego & Villa. The La Masia graduate proved that appearances can be deceptive by showcasing his strength on a few occasions. The youngster made crucial tackles in the final third and did a neat job replacing fellow Catalan, Gerard Pique.
#2 Neymar rising to the occasion
The Brazilian wonderkid has been under the scanner for quite a while now. Ever since his controversial move to Barcelona, all eyes have been on him and once again Neymar’s performance and the significance of the game were proportional. The Samba boy has seemed off-colour ever since his return from a long-term absence owing to an ankle injury but yet again stops Simeone’s men from grabbing the win.
Neymar looked a bit sluggish early on, but was always chipping into the game gradually. The Brazilian’s finish is equally laudable as Iniesta’s precision, as he didn’t have sufficient time to take another touch yet managed to slot it past the resilient Courtois. The Brazilian showed glimpses of the Neymar that we all know, with his typical trickery on the ball and the game might have marked the beginning of a purple patch.
#3 Barca ending it on a high note
Having taken the lead, the Rojiblancos had to work extremely hard to keep the Catalans away from scoring. Every player of the Red & Blue strip looked all geared up and the atmosphere at the Camp Nou added to Atletico’s agony. The Blaugranas’ response was nothing short of brilliant as they needed just a quarter of an hour to make it all square.
Unsurprisingly, Barca’s gameplay improved drastically under pressure and Courtois had to dirty his shirt on several occasions to keep his team alive. The Catalans were desperate to put Atletico to bed with a second but Simeone’s men excelled in what they do best- defense. Simeone earlier claimed that his men are not intimidated by the Catalans nor their atmosphere but with 90,000 people chanting the Barca hymn and the likes of Iniesta, Neymar, Messi coming straight at them, the intimidation was inevitable.
#4 Key players missed Pique & Costa
Both sides have had their fair share of ill-fate with Pique and Costa both out injured quite severely. The duration of Costa’s absence isn’t yet clear but according to reports; Pique is out for upto 4 weeks. This means that the Catalan will not be featuring in the return leg against the Rojiblancos and might as well miss the 1st leg of the Semi-final, in case the Catalans go through.
The injuries would be a huge blow to both Atletico & Barcelona as the sides are separated only by a point in the La Liga, with both teams looking to hold its nerve until the final matchday. This is the worst time of the season for any team to suffer from injury woes and now Pique joins Victor Valdes, who has been oozing form. It is needless to say how crucial Costa is for Simeone, who would be hoping to have his sharpshooter back as quickly as he possibly can.
#5 Tough task ahead at the Calderon
All said and done, we can expect a very close game at the Calderon on the 9th of April. Atletico will have an edge over the Catalans as they will be playing on home turf with an away goal under their belt. The Blaugranas must score in order to go through and hence will have to work extremely hard to break down the “Red & white wall” in the final third.
On the other hand, Simeone’s men will be happy to see Barca off with a 0-0 and wreak vengeance for losing the Supercopa 2013 to the Catalans without losing any of the 2 games. The Spanish giants will be giving it their all to get a result and another nerve-racking contest is on the cards at the Calderon, with either of the Argentine manager walking out victorious and another awaiting the final matchday.
