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Atletico Madrid finally got their revenge on arch-rivals Real Madrid in European competitions with a convincing 4-2 win over the defending champions in the UEFA Super Cup clash at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn earlier tonight.
Atletico got off to a flying start when Diego Costa conjured a stunning finish from a very tight angle to give them the lead in just under 60 seconds from kick-off. Julen Lopetegui's men grabbed the equalizer in the 27th minute when Karim Benzema leapt highest to find the back of the net following an inviting delivery into the area from Gareth Bale.
The Los Blancos were handed a massive favour in the 63rd minute when Juanfran handled the ball inside the penalty area and Sergio Ramos, who stepped up to take the resulting penalty, making no mistake from 12 yards out to give them the lead. However, the lead would only last for about 16 minutes and after some inspiring work down the right flank from Juanfran, it was that man Costa again who scored once more to force the game into extra-time.
Atletico mustered a quick-fire double in the first half of extra time, thanks to a stunning volley from Saul Niguez and a sweet finish from Koke, to put the game beyond any doubt, helping them lift their third UEFA Super Cup trophy, having won it back in 2010 and 2012.
On that note, let's take a closer look at the major talking points from this exciting clash between the two Madrid giants:
#1 Lightning Costa strikes quick and twice
The Atletico Madrid hitman scored the fastest goal in the history of the UEFA Super Cup when he opened the scoring after just 49 seconds against Real Madrid. The Spaniard chased a long ball thumped forward by Diego Godin and managed to nod it past Sergio Ramos before taking it beyond Raphael Varane, who was a bit slow to react.
The quick movement presented Costa with the opportunity to have a one on one against Keylor Navas from a very tight angle on the right side of the box and the former Chelsea talisman dispatched a thunderous finish that whizzed past Navas, who could do very little to keep the ball out of the net.
However, Costa was not done for the night yet and bagged a brace in the 79th minute to force the game into extra-time, when he finished from close range, while also contributing effectively to the goals that led to Atletico's triumph during the first half of extra-time.
#2 Touchline ban does not prevent Simeone from rallying his troops
The Atletico manager was serving the 3rd of his 4 match touchline ban in European competitions during the encounter against Real Madrid earlier today and despite only watching his team from an executive box in the stands, Diego Simeone was cut out as an anxious figure eagerly rallying his troops from afar.
In the absence of Simeone, it was the assistant coach and fellow Argentine German Burgos who marshalled the touchline for Atletico and it is understood that he would have received a few tips from Simeone before or maybe even during the game.
In the end, Atletico managed to secure a memorable win over their city rivals and a lot of credit must go to Simeone who was anxiously watching over from the stands while constantly shouting instructions at his men throughout the night.
#3 World Cup stars might still only be getting to their best shape
The prominent World Cup stars who returned to their respective clubs for the UEFA Super Cup clash looked far from convincing on the night. Notably, Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane were strikingly off the pace, suggesting that the duo along with a few others might still only be getting back to their best shape after their World Cup exploits in Russia last month.
Griezmann struggled to complement his teammates on the pitch and was largely anonymous in the game before being replaced by Angel Correa just before the hour mark while Varane looked uncharacteristically slow while getting to the ball and was partly at fault when the Los Blancos conceded the early goal.
Furthermore, Varane's slip in the build-up to Saul Niguez's goal in extra-time suggested that the defender was not the same player we saw in Russia last month and it seems like the lack of pre-season involvement has taken a toll on some of these stars.
#4 Lopetegui will be under immense pressure as the La Liga race blows wide open
The early signs suggest that the race for the La Liga title could be wide open with all of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid expected to hotly contest it among themselves. Julen Lopetegui, who took over from Zinedine Zidane in the summer, will have plenty to live up to at the Santiago Bernabeu considering the Los Blancos' history under the former manager.
Real Madrid were crowned as European champions for a third consecutive season in 2017/18 and the fact that they have only won the league title once in the last five years will put immense pressure under Lopetegui to deliver instant success at the club.
Furthermore, the fact that they endured a disappointing league campaign last season, in which they finished below both Barcelona and Atletico, and their inability to effectively replace Cristiano Ronaldo will only do more harm than good to the new manager.
#5 Atletico finally have the last laugh over their rivals in Europe
The recent history between the two sides in European competitions does not bode well for Atletico and the win against their city rivals tonight will be considered as a welcome sign for better results in the future.
In the last 5 seasons, Atletico have been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League on four occasions by Real Madrid, after the Los Blancos reigned supreme over them in the finals of the 2013/14 and 2015/16 editions respectively while also knocking them out in the quarter-finals in 2014/15 and in the semi-finals during the 2016/17 campaign.
This particular triumph over the defending European champions in the UEFA Super Cup will mean a lot to the players especially considering the fact that they were so close to achieving it on numerous occasions in the recent past.
