Following one of the closest La Liga title races in recent years, Atletico Madrid have taken their first league title and second major piece of silverware since the turn of the century after salvaging a 1-1 draw against second-placed Bacelona at the Nou Camp.
After missing the chance to seal the deal on a tenth league title last week, Atletico had to travel to Barcelona in the final week of the campaign to determine the title.
Coming into the decider Atletico were on top with 89 points with a +51 goal difference, while the Catalans were trailing by three points but a superior +67 goal difference.
This meant Diego Simeone’s men only had to draw to get the result they were after.
The game was evenly poised until Atletico took a turn for the worst when Diego Costa aggravated a hamstring injury and had to be substituted, followed soon after by Arda Turan when he was injured.
Barcelona took confidence from the substitutions, with Alexis Sánchez firing an excellent strike past Thibaut Coutois into the top right corner of the net. This effectively meant that Barcelona only needed to keep the scoreline that way to ensure they would be champions.
Going into the break many predicted a fifth league crown in six years for Barcelona, until Diego Godin headed home a precise corner from Gabi four minutes after play recommenced. With half an hour remaining Lionel Messi booted home a goal from close range, but was correctly ruled offside.
The draw saw the red and whites clinch their first league title since 1996, and they’ll again taste Champions League action next season alongside fellow La Liga teams FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Athletic.
Atletico have the chance to top off their dream campaign next week when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League final. The UCL trophy is one that every Atletico fan would love to see for a first time.
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