Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
The visitors had the best of the first period at the Vicente Calderon, but Atletico responded in the second 45 minutes.
Neither side could make the breakthrough, however, leaving the tie delicately poised ahead of the second leg next week.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two teams.
Match statistics
ATLETICO
Shots: 8
On target: 2
Possession: 42%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 19
REAL MADRID
Shots: 16
On target: 8
Possession: 58%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
It would be very easy to just look at the second period and argue that Atletico did not deserve to lose the match, such was their pressure in the latter stages. However, in truth, Real Madrid should have been at least two goals ahead at the break. The visitors dominated the first 45 minutes and but for some excellent goalkeeping from Jan Oblak, they would have had a couple of away goals to their name. Atletico improved as the match developed, however, and had some opportunities late on. That said, the statistics demonstrate that Real Madrid were the more productive in terms of opportunities created. Overall, a draw is just about a fair result. Atletico did not deserve to win, but on balance, they did enough in the second half not to lose.
Atletico's performance
There were no real surprises in the team that Diego Simeone selected, with Mario Mandzukic returning to the attack alongside in-form Antoine Griezmann. It was also Miranda and Diego Godin at centre-back, with the pair keeping youngster Jose Gimenez out of the team. Atletico are known as a team that start quickly, but in truth, they struggled in the first period. An early mistake from Godin presented Gareth Bale with an excellent chance, but Oblak came to the rescue. In total, the Atletico stopper made six saves in the first period, with Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez also being denied by the excellent Slovenian. Down the other end, Mandzukic was isolated, while Griezmann was struggling to make his mark.
The home side had a better grip of the midfield battle in the second period, however, which was not the case in the first, when the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were allowed to pass at will. Mandzukic put himself around in the second half, but it brought unwanted attention on the Croatian, who picked up a bloodied nose and was booked during a long-running feud with the two Real Madrid centre-backs. Fernando Torres helped increase the home side's threat late on, but the fact that they only had two attempts on target is a statistic that cannot be ignored. They were once again stunning defensively, however, especially in the second period as their incredible home run and defensive record continued. They are just so strong at home.
Real Madrid's performance
Bale was passed fit for Carlo Ancelotti's side on Monday and the Welshman was thrown straight into the XI. At least nine of the 11 positions picked themselves, but Ancelotti had to decide between Isco and James in central midfield. The Italian went for the latter, while it was once again Karim Benzema, Bale and Ronaldo in attack. Real Madrid have started slowly against Atletico in recent games, but they were straight on the front foot here and as mentioned, should have been ahead inside four minutes when Bale ran through on goal, only to bring a really smart save from the super Oblak. Five more attempts on target were to follow during an impressive first-half performance, but they just could not breach the goal.
Atletico certainly improved in the second period, but Real Madrid were not worried until the latter stages, when a host of set pieces and goal-mouth scrambles caused problems. It was a subdued night for both Ronaldo and Benzema, while Bale struggled to make his mark after the break. Real Madrid have now played Atletico seven times across four competitions this season and failed to record a single win, which is a real problem for Ancelotti. Any score draw in the second leg would take Atletico through and they will fancy their chances of netting at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid will just about enter the second leg as favourites, but they have a lot of work to do if they are to continue their fight for back-to-back Champions Leagues.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Jan Oblak: There were a number of excellent defensive performances this evening, but truth be told, Atletico would have conceded at least twice in the first period if it was not for their goalkeeper. Oblak has had to bide his time this season due to form of Miguel Moya, but the 22-year-old has taken his chance in recent weeks. He made one outstanding save to deny Bale early on, but it was the Slovenian's overall work - from crosses and the like - that made it such a dominant performance.
Biggest gaffe
Atletico's Godin is undoubtedly one of the best centre-backs in Europe and has been for the last 12 months or so, but the Uruguay international had a poor moment early on when he allowed a long ball to evade his capture, which allowed Bale to break through on goal. As mentioned, Bale could not beat Oblak from inside the box and therefore the mistake did not prove costly, but it could have cost his team big time.
Referee performance
It was a straightforward first 45 minutes for Milorad Mazic, with the referee failing to issue a single yellow card in a half that was without major incident. However, the 42-year-old was much more involved after the break. The first yellow card came for Mandzukic and the Croatian's feud with just about everyone was a distraction that the game did not need. Mazic went on to award another four yellow cards, but he rightly turned down a couple of Atletico penalty appeals in the latter stages.
What next?
Atletico: Simeone's side return to La Liga action away to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
Real Madrid: Los Blancos will welcome Malaga in La Liga on Saturday.
Matt Law
