Atletico of Madrid fulfilled the tradition and put the Barcelona of Rijkaard again in difficulties. Although at this occasion the red and white team couldn’t achieve the victory, they knew how to get a valuable point from Camp Nou that is useful to keep the fourth place of the classification and to close the year 2006 in Champions places. One Agüero’s goal at the second half balanced the scoreboard, until then the scoreboard showed the Ronaldihno’s goal done on the edge of the break (1-1).

It was a serious match, nothing friendly, between two teams with very different ideas: Barça put the energy and touch, while Atletico showed strength, and above all maximum output to get gold out of one of the few awarding that the local team allowed in defence. Fernando Torres, a black beast for the blue and maroon team last seasons, realized a very complete match but missed the finishing touch, the goal. Disciplined, very involved in the game, the forward worked during a big part of the match quite far of the area, at the sides or at the second line, creating and looking for deep balls with the aim to get the most of his speed at fast break.

Aguirre lined up a starting eleven with a clear offensive vocation, prepared for the battle, with the double striker pair F.Torres-Agüero supported by Galletti and Jurado, while Maniche and Peter Luccin formed at the middle of the field. The Atleticos went out looking for pressure at midfield and the speed of their strikers, but Barça was the first one to warn with a right footed by Deco after a play by Gudjhonsen in the front of the area. Maniche answered right after away culminating a personal action by Fernando Torres with a shot that left very close to the left post.

The exchange of hits at the beginning left the match with a high rhythm, with Barça practicing a touching football, with precision, against an Atletico’s strategy based in speed and fast break. But soon the blue and maroon team got control of the ball and Atletico had serious difficulties to play the ball from behind and to make a play against the suffocating pressure of the rival. In those moments, Seitaridis was substituted by Juan Valera after suffering an injury.

In this situation the red and white danger could just come on an action from a kick foul, and it was like that at 26’. Antonio Lopez almost opened the scoreboard when he hit a free kick with a great shot that put Valdes in trouble. Iniesta also had the chance to inaugurate the scoreboard with a header by a Ronaldinho’s pass, but Leo Franco was able to block it. Everything indicated that the 0-0 tie will stay till the break, and it would’ve been like that but for a Ronaldinho’s action. The Brazilian surprised crossing to the left post a foul made at the right corner of the area, a shot that Atletico’s goalkeeper couldn’t stop. The red and white team felt the punch and, a little bit confused, they bear the offensive actions of their rival at the end of the first half.

At the second half Aguirre entered Mista instead of Jurado, but the match didn’t change much: the ball on Barça’s side and an Atletico with some difficulties to create plays against a good planted rival on the field, impossible at defence and without giving options to the red and white strikers. In that moment, Agüero tied the match. At minute 59 when Luccin sent a superb pass to the gap that the Argentinean, after entering into the area, transformed in goal in front of Valdes.

After the tie, the blue and maroon team came back to work, sending all their artillery to recuperate the lose advantage. But, the blue and maroon team wasn’t able to achieve it, in some occasions because they found the good work of the red and white defence and other times because they made mistakes in the definition, just as happened with Ezquerro at 71’ that didn’t hit right against Leo Franco from the frontal of the area. Fernando Torres could’ve put Atletico of Madrid ahead with a header shot from a corner kick, although the ball fell over the back of the crossbar.

Barcelona, with quality and ideas but without strength, kept looking for the victory against an Atletico that had learnt the lesson and didn’t give concessions at defence that could spoil the whole match. So Pablo and Ze Castro didn’t let their rivals to get close to Leo Franco’s area, while Valera showed impassable at the right side. The match got to the last whistle, with intensity but without scares for any of both teams. Finally, points-shared at Camp Nou.


Photo: www.clubatleticodemadrid.com