Chapter 156: The Champions League Round of 16 Is Set—Real Madrid Sets Sights on a Sixth Title
Li Ang's header in the 73rd minute shattered most of Atlético's remaining belief.
All the psychological edge Atlético fans had built over the first thirteen La Liga rounds vanished in an instant.
That familiar sense of powerlessness returned—haunting every Atlético supporter once again.
This helplessness in the face of Real Madrid was nothing new. It was painful, yes, but over time, many had learned to accept it.
After all, Atlético had lost to Real Madrid far too often in recent years—even draws were rare.
So no matter how much it stung, no matter how bitter the taste of defeat, Atlético fans had slowly grown used to it.
Simeone, however, was far from reconciled.
After fuming on the sidelines for three or four minutes, he jumped up again, yelling encouragement at his players.
Forget about equalizing—at that point, he just wanted to see his team fight to the very end, to show heart.
If this Atlético team—rebuilt under his own hands—crumbled so easily, then he would feel that his work had been a failure.
Luckily, what he saw brought him comfort.
From Diego Costa up front, to Gabi, Koke, and Raúl García in midfield, all the way to Godín and Juanfran at the back—
No one gave up.
They didn't roll over and let Madrid tear them apart. They kept running, still chasing counterattacking chances, even though their stamina was clearly lagging behind Madrid's.
But they didn't quit.
Seeing this, Real Madrid's players also toned down their relaxed attitude as they dropped deeper to preserve their lead.
This was the second time this season they had seen such tenacity from an opponent.
The first was against Dortmund in the Champions League group stage—a team that fought tooth and nail until the final whistle.
Now, they were seeing it again, in their city rivals Atlético.
Tactics and individual quality aside, this kind of spirit was rare in today's football world.
Madrid's players hadn't expected this level of grit from Atlético—not this early in Simeone's project.
He hadn't even been in charge a full year.
So imagine what Atlético could become in one or two more seasons—if they added to their roster and refined their tactics while maintaining this fighting spirit.
Li Ang, more than anyone else in Madrid's squad, understood what Atlético was capable of.
He remained calm in the face of their persistence—because he already knew.
Give them a year, and Atlético would be a team with the raw power to conquer Europe.
If Simeone made the right signings and further polished their offensive systems, that day would come even sooner.
Defensively, they were already elite.
Once this season's chemistry fully gelled, their backline might end up as the best in La Liga.
And tonight, they were still far from their tactical peak. Yet they'd only lost by two goals to a fully locked-in Mourinho-led Madrid.
That was more than respectable.
Fully deserving of their current spot in third place.
Mourinho, too, was visibly more serious than usual as he watched the closing minutes.
"This might be the last time we win the derby this easily, Aitor," he muttered to Karanka as the final whistle blew.
Before Karanka could respond, Mourinho strode over to the Atlético bench.
"That was a great battle," he said as he grabbed Simeone's arm, cutting off any chance for the Argentine to speak first.
"You're doing excellent work, Diego. This Atlético side is nothing like what we saw last season—or even at the start of this one.
You're building something special here. I have to congratulate you."
Simeone's tense expression softened slightly at Mourinho's words.
"Congratulations on the win, José. Your team was flawless today," he replied.
"Looking forward to facing you again in the second half of the season."
"So am I."
Two headstrong managers—mutual respect in their eyes—smiled and parted ways.
This wasn't their first tactical showdown. But it was the start of a new era in the Madrid derby.
Madrid's players didn't over-celebrate. Atlético's didn't hang their heads in despair.
They all knew the historical script was shifting.
Next time, the battle might surprise everyone.
Of course, Real Madrid still believed they'd triumph in the end.
No matter how hard the next derby would be. No matter how strong Atlético became.
Madrid was still Madrid.
And the capital? Still belonged to Los Blancos.
※※※
Madrid's win came as no surprise to most of the media.
No matter how much tactical progress Atlético had made, the headlines the next day were still dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona victories.
Some niche outlets did offer in-depth tactical breakdowns, but they were buried in back pages.
Big-name outlets wanted clicks and copies sold—they weren't wasting valuable front-page space on niche football analysis.
Marca and AS even seemed to forget their previous spats with Mourinho, once again singing his praises as if nothing had happened.
Li Ang and many of Madrid's players felt like gagging at their shamelessness.
But Mourinho didn't care anymore.
He'd already made it clear—he wasn't giving Marca or AS any interviews from now on.
So he was feeling great.
Besides, there was no time for media drama.
With the league match done, Madrid faced three crucial fixtures: the final Champions League group game, La Liga Matchday 15, and the biggest one—the Club World Cup.
Mourinho's schedule was packed. He couldn't afford distractions.
On the night of December 4th, Madrid hosted Ajax in their final Champions League Group D match.
Just three days removed from the grueling derby, Madrid's starters were given a break.
The main goal now was to protect their undefeated home record.
So Mourinho generously fielded a full rotation squad.
Even more rotated than the one that faced Manchester City.
Li Ang, Ronaldo, and Casillas didn't even start.
The starting XI?
Adán in goal.
Marcelo, Albiol, Varane, and Carvajal at the back.
Matuidi and Nacho as holding mids, with Jesé ahead of them.
Lucas Vázquez, Morata, and Callejón made up the front three.
Ajax fans had nothing to complain about.
They flooded Madrid's social media, leaving messages of thanks.
Then they jumped over to Manchester City's accounts to cheer them on.
Because technically, City still had a shot at Europa League—if they beat Dortmund and Ajax failed to win, City could sneak into third.
But those Ajax fans had severely underestimated how much psychological damage Madrid's rotated lineup inflicted on City.
Think about it—if Ajax even drew, they'd have five points.
City would need a win just to match that.
And Madrid's "weakened" squad meant Ajax had a great shot at grabbing that point.
This disparity broke City mentally.
When both final group matches kicked off, Ajax were holding their own against Madrid's B-team, still clinging to slim qualification hopes.
But City?
They were getting smacked at the Westfalenstadion—down 0–2 by halftime.
Once that news hit the Bernabéu, Ajax's morale crumbled too.
Fans across Europe laughed at the "two sides of the same coin" collapse.
City did push harder in the second half—for pride.
But it was meaningless.
They lost 1–3, finishing with zero wins, two draws, and four losses.
Worse than Dortmund's group-stage record from last season.
At least Dortmund had won one.
City hadn't even done that.
Ajax held Madrid to a 1–1 draw at the Bernabéu, finishing third in the group for a third consecutive year—with five points.
They were sad to miss the knockout stage again—but consoled themselves with a Europa League spot.
Dortmund fans, meanwhile, partied through the night.
After years away from the Round of 16, they were back.
Even as group runners-up, they were thrilled.
It was far better than last season, when they'd crashed out in last place.
And so, with the final matches concluded, the 2012–2013 Champions League Round of 16 was officially set:
Group winners:
Paris Saint-Germain, Schalke 04, Málaga, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United.
Group runners-up:
Porto, Arsenal, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Shakhtar Donetsk, Valencia, Celtic, Galatasaray.
Overall, the gap between first and second place teams was clear.
But nobody wanted to draw Dortmund.
That narrow 3–4 loss to Madrid had shaken the elites—they were no joke anymore.
On the flip side, teams were hoping to draw Schalke or Málaga—viewing them as lucky matchups.
But for Madrid, Barça, and Bayern? These matchups were just stepping stones.
They wouldn't face each other yet anyway—so who cared who came next?
With the group stage wrapped up, Madrid's eyes were already past their next La Liga game.
Matchday 15's opponent, Valladolid, didn't even register on the radar.
Everyone—players and fans alike—was looking east.
After winning the Super Cup, they'd been waiting for December.
On the 13th, Real Madrid would travel to Japan to compete for the FIFA Club World Cup.
The elusive sixth title of the calendar year was now just within reach.
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