A superb individual goal from Saul Niguez secured a narrow aggregate advantage for Diego Simeone’s men going into the return fixture at Allianz Arena next week.
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The 21-year-old picked the ball up near halfway and skipped past four half-hearted Bayern challenges before curling a left-footed shot in off the inside of the far post.
“Defending is an art – everybody has forgotten it – it’s a tactical art to be able to sense danger and block crosses and get your toe in without fouling and they are very, very good at it. Fernando and Fernandinho played very well in the middle of the park” said John Giles.
Bayern’s Philipp Lahm was disappointed the side could not find a vital away goal.
Out of nowhere, however, Austrian defender David Alaba seemed fed up with passing the ball around 30 yards from Atletico Madrid’s goal and fired a wicked shot from long range that beat Oblak but ricocheted off the crossbar. The midfielder made a run into the box adjusted his body extremely well and scored the flawless bicycle kick past Iker Casillas. We’ve got what we wanted which was to get the scoreline in our favour and we have the second leg to come.
Atletico coach Simeone had drilled into his side the importance of shutting down Bayern’s attacking options, and his players responded by pulling off an eighth clean sheet in 11 Champions League games this season.
Saul received his initial footballing education at Real Madrid, but said in a recent interview that he was mistreated at Atletico’s more illustrious city rivals.
In the other semi-final Atletico Madrid welcomed a visit from Bayern Munich, and the Germans found it hard to settle in Spain.
‘Although Toni Kroos and/or Luka Modrić could have been given the nod for their roles in putting the visitors in charge in the last half-hour, it was the Brazilian who offered the biggest presence in midfield’.
He added, referring to Barcelona’s Dutch-influenced tradition of possession-based football: “They are the best for me…”
The tie has not been decided yet and Bayern need to go back to the drawing board to re-strategize to keep their dreams of lifting the trophy in Milan.
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However, the improvement the manager has seen since the turn of the year has convinced him there is hope for the future. Real Madrid, meanwhile, are close behind in third place with 81 points after a weekend of play that saw all three clubs win and maintain their positions.
