But we won’t know for sure until Leg 2 is played, March 12.
Atletico Madrid fans went berserk last Wednesday night after their side won the First Leg in a Champions League clash, 2-0, at home versus Juventus. The win came courtesy of Jose Giminez’s second-half goal (see video below) and Diego Godin’s late kick. The final score would have been 3-0, but Alvaro Morato’s impressive header was ruled out by video-assist refereeing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_rwuKA6aVU
While Atletico are not novices to this competition, their participation drips with disappointment–losing out on a chance to participate in two finals (2014 and 2016). Making matter worse, they lost both times to fierce rival, Real Madrid.
In 2014, Atletico held Real to a one-all draw, but three extra-time goals denied them a European triumph. Two years later, Atletico fell once again, missing a spot-kick, and eventually losing 5-3 on penalties.
While Wednesday’s home win against Juventus might signal a change in fortunes, the proof is still in the pudding. Atletico must sustain momentum in Leg 2 of this Final 16 competition–at a contest to be played March 12 at Allianz Stadium in Turin.
But, for Atletico, no man is better at knowing how to motivate his team in crucial times than its coach, Diego Pablo Simeone. And on Wednesday, Simone dug deep into his bag of motivational tricks.
After the game, Simone turned to fans and grabbed his crotch!
Simone defended his actions by saying:
“It’s not a nice gesture, I admit. But I felt the need to do it. I did it as a player at Lazio, and I did it again–to show our fans that we have cojones. I can only apologize if anyone was offended.”
Simone knows a lot is at stake. A loss in Turin would be a major setback to his team and players–Antoine Griezmann, included.
So, perhaps, there are times when a situation calls for grabbing one’s crotch. Was this one of those times?
We’ll know March 12.
