As Antonio Rudiger raced away to celebrate with his team-mates after converting the decisive spot-kick in Real Madrid's shootout win over city rivals Atletico, Diego Simeone made a beeline for his disconsolate players. The message was clear: keep your heads up, you've done yourselves and your club proud. Then, the coach turned to fans and urged them to applaud a side that had given its all but once again come up agonisingly short in a Champions League tie against their neighbours from across the Spanish capital.
This was a particularly bitter pill for Atleti to swallow, though, as an incredibly controversial call had ultimately proved decisive, with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruling out Julian Alvarez's converted penalty in the shootout for a 'double touch' that was neither deliberate nor obvious even in the multiple video replays that followed. Consequently, despite Simeone's best efforts to lift his players, centre-back Clement Lenglet admitted that they were all still in a "state of shock" in the dressing room.
"We produced a massive performance from start to finish," he told Movistar Plus after Atleti had won 1-0 on the night to draw 2-2 on aggregate. "I think we deserved [to win] as a team, a club, for the fans and their support, which helped us a lot. But we will handle the blow to our morale in the days ahead. We have a lot of work left to do, we have important things to play for, the season doesn't end today."
It might on Wednesday, though, as it appears as if Atletico still haven't come to terms with their desperately unfortunate Champions League elimination on March 12...
