It was an iconic night at the Calderon as of the greatest teams in recent times, Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League for the second time by Atletico Madrid in the space of three years.
Diego Simeone generally does not have much luck against Barcelona but the two victories he’s managed against the Catalan giants have both been in the Champions League. Here are some of the best images from last night’s match.
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1) The Atletico fans are something different
The Vincente de Calderon is a cauldron of noise and pictured above are the passionate fans of the club chanting and cheering their team. It truly is a sight to behold and is one of the greatest stadiums in Spain.
Diego Simeone has really transformed their fortunes since his arrival and won them their first league title in 2013/14 since 1995/96
2) The hero of the hour
Antoine Griezmann has been Atletico’s best player for some time now and he was once again at the forefront of their attack. After scoring the first of his two goals on the night his teammate and Captain, Gabi lifted the Frenchman into the air.
3) Frustration for Enrique
After a wonderful first season at the Camp Nou and brilliant unbeaten streak this year that broke several records, Luis Enrique finds himself in his toughest run yet. The coach has not won in the league in the last three games and now finds himself out of the Champions League after what looked like another treble-winning season for Barcelona.
4) Defenders in tandem
Mascherano and Pique have been at the heart of the Barcelona defence or some time now but they haven't always featured together with Enrique preferring to rotate his squad. But in this case, it seems the two defenders can read each other's minds as Griezmann attempts a shot on target.
5) The kick that sealed it all
With Barcelona chasing the game Andres Iniesta gave away a crucial penalty in the last moments of the match after a deliberate handball. There was going to be only one man who was going to take the penalty as Griezmann stepped up and sealed Barcelona's fate
6) Jubilance and misery
The crowd expectedly erupted with joy as the players rushed towards the bench to celebrate with the whole team and the coaching staff knowing what they had just done. In the faded foreground a despondent Luis Suarez walks away with his team surely out of the competition.
7) He’s faster than Bolt!
We all know how expressive Diego Simeone can be but this is probably the best of the bunch. The coach runs off in celebration in a sprint after the goal knowing that it was surely the game.
8) Protests in vain
Probably the most controversial moment of the match came just after the second goal. Iniesta’s shot hit the hand of Captain Gabi and the referee gave a free-kick on the edge of the box when it looked like it had hit his hand inside the area. The players protested in anger but the referee was unmoved
9) Even the best can have an off day
Lionel Messi is currently enduring his worst run of form in front of goal having not scored in the last five games. But the entire blame cannot be placed on him alone when a team is made up of 11 players. Luis Enrique defended his star after the match as well, but the footballing world hopes he gets back to his best soon.
10) A historic result
They say a picture paints a thousand words but more importantly it conveys a significant message. This image most of all defines the meaning of the match as a whole and but importantly, re-wrote history when most would have thought otherwise.
