Khaberni - Atlético Madrid finished another season of its long history, dating back to 1903, without winning any titles, although this season stands out from the previous ones as the team was on the verge of winning two different championships.
The dreams of Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone and his players collapsed after the team was eliminated from the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing to Arsenal 1-2 in the aggregate of the home and away matches.
This bitter exit came less than three weeks after Atlético Madrid missed the chance to win the King’s Cup of Spain, losing in the final to their fellow countrymen, Real Sociedad.
Between Glory and Disappointment
The Spanish newspaper "Marca" commented: "What Atlético Madrid experienced this season epitomizes the fine line between glory and disappointment."
It added: "Just 18 days ago, the team was dreaming of achieving an unprecedented historic double in Atlético’s history, but it ended with two painful losses that left them empty-handed."
The chapters of Atlético Madrid's dream collapse began on April 18, when "Los Rojiblancos" entered the King’s Cup final as the favorites to win, especially after a resounding victory against Real Betis in the quarterfinals (5-0) before stripping Barcelona of the title after two epic battles that ended with a total score of 4-3 in the aggregate of the semifinal matches.
However, Atlético unexpectedly fell on the most important occasion, after a match that went into two extra halves and ended in a 2-2 draw, the Madrid team then lost by penalty shootout 3-4, with the title going to the storages of Real Sociedad.
Atlético Madrid’s Fall Against Arsenal
Atlético Madrid didn’t have much time to heal the wounds of losing the King's Cup, quickly trying to regain their balance to fight for another dream, the "two-eared cup", but the task would not be easy against Arsenal, who had the strongest defense in the tournament and had not lost any matches in the current edition.
Atlético hosted its counterpart Arsenal on April 29th at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in the first leg of the semi-finals, which ended in a 1-1 draw, in a match where the Madrid team didn't translate the opportunities that presented themselves into a victory, according to the same newspaper.
"Los Rojiblancos" were betting on the away match in London to achieve a victory despite knowing that the task would not be easy against a strong and experienced home team, and they left with a 0-1 loss, with Bukayo Saka scoring in the last minute of the first half.
Atlético players missed the opportunity to score an equalizer on a few occasions, one of which was a golden opportunity for their striker Alexander Sorloth, who was in an ideal position to score but oddly hit the ball with his other foot.
Atlético Madrid also failed to reach the final of the Spanish Super Cup, losing 1-2 in the semi-final to their neighbor Real Madrid, and currently occupies the fourth position in the La Liga standings with 63 points, 25 points behind the leader Barcelona with four rounds left till the end.
Atlético Madrid has only won the double once in its history, in the 1995-1996 season, when they were crowned with the La Liga and King's Cup double, while they have not managed to win the UEFA Champions League title throughout their history.
