Atletico Madrid re-emerge out of the darkness for final repeat

The stars are aligning as Atletico Madrid seek to invoke the spirit of Luis Aragones to help exorcise the demons of traumas past tonight in Milan, writes Sean Duffy.

It was 10:38pm on a warm spring evening in Madrid, and the unthinkable had come to pass. A girl of about 20 wept uncontrollably and was being pulled from the ground by her father. The man looked as if he had just seen a ghost. The girl’s mother had the wizened look of a woman who had witnessed such heartache before. All around her, the scene betrayed a different story. This was a new type of misery. Men in their 60’s sat stunned. The younger generation took out their angst on whatever was nearest to them. Sometimes that meant each other.

Sergio Ramos’ equalising goal in the 2014 Champions League final for Real Madrid against cross-town rivals Atletico will be indelibly etched in the memory of fans from both clubs. Those Atleti fans who had not managed to secure a ticket for the Lisbon final had gathered to watch on a giant screen in the centre of the club’s Vicente Calderon stadium - the launch pad for this unlikeliest of stories. The game would head to extra- time, but the fans of Los Rojiblancos already knew their fate. Extra time would be a procession for their hated rivals. Their heroes had given their all. There was nothing left.