Vintage :: Topic review - Atletico Madrid crowned La Liga champions

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Atletico Madrid won the Spanish league title in extraordinary circumstances Saturday courtesy of a draw at Barcelona that denied the Catalan club the crown.
In a breathless end to a compelling La Liga season, the 1-1 draw meant Atletico won their first championship since 1995/96 and in doing so they broke the hearts of the majority of the 98,000 fans present at the Camp Nou.
It was the Uruguayan defender Diego Godin who wrote his name into Los Rojiblancos' folklore, the 28-year-old rising high to plant a header into the Barca net just after halftime and stun the home side who were hoping to win their fourth title in only five seasons.
But after Godin had canceled out Alexis Sanchez's fabulous first-half strike for Barca, the defending champions could find no way back against a team which has defied the odds for most of the season.
Now Atleti will turn their attentions to the unlikeliest of doubles as they face city rivals Real Madrid in a mouthwatering Champions League final in Libson next Saturday,[url=http://www.okskor.se/]Nike Skor[/url].
As a result they will not have long to celebrate this triumph,[url=http://www.okskor.se/air-max-33]Billiga Air Max[/url], but it is nevertheless one of huge significance as it has broken the stranglehold Barcelona and Real Madrid have enjoyed over the rest of La Liga for a decade.
The last time neither of the biggest two teams finished top of the pile was in 2003/04, when Valencia beat Barca to the title.
Barca,[url=http://www.okskor.se/]Nike Sverige[/url], in truth,[url=http://www.okskor.se]Nike Free[/url], looked a shadow of the side that has dominated Spanish football for half a decade. After a season of turmoil on and off the pitch, Gerardo Martino's side simply did not have the tactical nous or energy with which to overpower an Atletico team who refused to bow to their more illustrious opponents.
It has been a chastening few months for Barcelona. President Sando Rosell resigned in January after allegations surrounding the acquisition of Brazilian forward Neymar last summer, former coach Tito Vilanova tragically passed away in April and club lynchpins Carles Puyol and Victor Valdes have said their goodbyes as they leave the Camp Nou for pastures new.
All the while Barca have struggled on the pitch after a superb start to the season, exiting the Champions League at the hands of Atletico and losing the Spanish Cup final to Real Madrid in April, in the meantime letting the title slip out of their grasp when it was theirs to lose after a 4-3 win at Real in March.
Down to the wire
It was the league no-one could win as Barca, Real and Atleti all threw away points in the final few weeks of the season; the underdogs from Madrid blowing their first chance to win the title outright when they were held 1-1 at home by Malaga last weekend while Barca were drawing 0-0 in Elche.
But when it came down to Saturday's once-in-a-lifetime showdown at one of the great cathedrals in world sport,[url=http://www.okskor.se]Nike Shox[/url], Atletico did not fluff their lines, instead producing a performance that owed more to glorious guts and determination than the glamorous 'tiki-taka' style with which Barca have won trophies and hearts aplenty in recent years.
And in a league that swung from Barcelona to Real Madrid to Atletico and back all season long, it was no surprise that the once-in-a-lifetime final day showdown saved some of its best twists and turns for the dramatic denouement.
Going into the Camp Nou contest Atleti were three points ahead of Barca and knew a draw would be enough; Barca needed to win and they would take the title by virtue of a better head-to-head record, which is how the final standings in Spain are determined.
In glorious sunshine Barca began brighter and Atleti were soon rocked by injuries to two of their most decisive players, as first talismanic striker Diego Costa -- reportedly on his way to Chelsea in the summer -- and then classy midfielder Arda Turan limped off in tears at the prospect of their seasons being curtailed so cruelly.
When Alexis seized on a Lionel Messi chest pass in the Atleti box after 33 minutes and rifled a ferocious right-foot shot into the roof of the net from an audacious angle, suddenly Barca were the ones in the driving seat.
But they were also suddenly the ones with everything to lose,[url=http://www.okskor.se/air-max-33]Nike Air Max[/url], and Atletico had clearly not come so far to be denied.
It was the first time Barca had led Atleti in a match since February 2012,[url=http://www.okskor.se/]Billiga Nike Skor[/url], seven meetings ago, and they looked uncomfortable doing so as the visitors took the game to them with renewed gusto.