Atletico defies history.

Atletico Madrid currently holds a record that's hard to say whether to be happy or sad about: they have had the honor of playing in the Champions League final the most times without ever winning it. In the annals of European club football, there are 11 teams that have played in fewer finals than Atletico but have won the title, some even lifting the trophy multiple times.

Atletico Madrid strives to find joy.

It's frustrating for Atletico that in all three of their appearances in the Champions League final, they didn't lose, and even took the lead twice. Atletico took the lead but Bayern Munich equalized in the 120th minute, then lost in the 1974 rematch. Exactly 40 years later, Atletico took the lead again, but Real equalized in the 90+3 minute, then lost in extra time. In the 2016 final, Atletico lost to Real in a penalty shootout.

In the Champions League final alone, Atletico have suffered two painful defeats against their city rivals. Back then, Atletico lost 1-2 at Real's stadium but won 1-0 at home in the semi-finals of the 1958-1959 European Cup. At that time, UEFA hadn't yet implemented the "away goals" rule. Otherwise, Real would have been eliminated, and their record of five consecutive European Cup wins would have been lost. In the rematch, Real won 1-0, reaching the final, and history took a completely different turn. Atletico also lost to Real in the quarter-finals of the 2015 Champions League and the semi-finals of the 2017 Champions League. The only goal in the 88th minute of the second leg, scored by Javier Hernandez for Real, was the only goal that decided the outcome in the two legs of the 2015 tie.

It's incredibly painful for Atletico, not because they've faced Real five times and lost every time just before glory (twice in the final, twice in the semi-finals, and once in the quarter-finals – no other capital in Europe has ever had a derby in a Champions League/European Cup final like Madrid). The pain lies in the fact that Atletico always lost in a heartbreaking, narrow defeat!

This time, Real won 2-1 at home, but that's certainly not a safe advantage. Can Atletico win back (by any score) to advance, or at least go to extra time or a penalty shootout? In their last seven encounters with Real at home, Atletico have only lost once. Their reputations may differ (especially when comparing star players), but once they step onto the pitch, Atletico always play on equal footing in Madrid derbies.

In both encounters in La Liga this season, Atletico and Real drew. Also in La Liga this season, while Real lost 0-4 to Barcelona at home, Atletico beat Barcelona away. This is mentioned to show that even if Atletico achieves a historic victory this time, eliminating Real Madrid, it wouldn't be a "shocking" result.

Also in tonight's Champions League matches, English representatives Arsenal and Aston Villa will have a comfortable run at home, hosting PSV Eindhoven and Brugge respectively. Having won 3-1 away, Aston Villa only needs to be relatively cautious against Brugge. As for Arsenal, tonight's match is certainly just a formality, as they won 7-1 in the first leg at Eindhoven. The remaining match is Lille vs. Borussia Dortmund, where any outcome is possible (the first leg ended 1-1 at Dortmund).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/atletico-chong-lai-lich-su-185250311201419991.htm