Atletico Madrid won their first La Liga title since 1996 after securing a 1-1 draw against Barcelona on Saturday.
Atletico entered the match at the Camp Nou needing just a point to win the league, while Barcelona would have retained the title with victory.
It was the home side that took the lead after 33 minutes following an explosive effort from Alexis Sanchez, but Diego Godin's second-half header secured a share of the spoils.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two La Liga rivals.
Match statistics
Barcelona
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 64%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 11
Atletico
Shots: 12
On target: 3
Possession: 36%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
Even the most ardent of Barcelona supporters would struggle to argue that their side deserved to pick up all the points this evening. It all went the home side's way in the first period, with Atletico losing key attackers Diego Costa and Arda Turan to injury, before Sanchez sent the Catalan outfit into the lead. The response from Atletico, however, was just sensational. Quite what Atletico boss Diego Simeone said to his side at the interval might never been revealed, but they emerged for the second half with a completely different mentality. They deserved to level and indeed might have taken the lead had their finishing been of a higher standard. When analysing the match on its own, a score draw was indeed the fair result. Ultimately, however, it is a defeat for Barcelona, who have relinquished their league title.
Barcelona's performance
The Catalan outfit have really struggled to find their top form in the second half of the season, but recent dropped points for both Real Madrid and Atletico handed them a serious opportunity this afternoon. It was a one-off match, with victory enough to retain the title in what has been a disappointing season. However, their struggles against Atletico continued. The two sides have met six times across three separate competitions this season and five have ended in draws, with Atletico winning the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. Head coach Gerardo Martino selected a three-pronged attack of Lionel Messi, Pedro and Sanchez, but the former two really struggled to hit top gear. Andres Iniesta was also quiet, while Cesc Fabregas did not have enough space to exert his influence. Atletico appear to have the answer to Barcelona's attacking threat and that proved to be the case once more. In truth, there was not too much between the teams in general play - although Barcelona, expectedly, dominated possession - but it was another lapse of concentration from a set piece that cost them. Now, their focus will be on next season. Celta Vigo boss Luis Enrique is widely expected to replace Martino at the helm, while a number of transfer targets have already been established. It promises to be a key summer for the club.
Atletico's performance
In truth, it is difficult to think of many more superlatives for the capital outfit. What Simeone has achieved with Atletico this season is nothing short of extraordinary. They could and probably should have won the title last week against Malaga, but dropped points took the race to the final match of the season. The first period could not have gone much worse, with Costa and Turan both leaving with injury and Sanchez handing the home side the lead. Simeone's face painted a picture that it could all be over, but his side are made of the right stuff and responded in such incredible fashion. In the early stages of the second half, they might have scored three or four times, but in the end, one goal was enough to land the title. It wasn't particularly a performance full of attacking flair, but once more their defence was just sensational. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was called upon to make a number of smart saves, while Juanfran, Miranda, Godin and Filipe Luis were brilliant. Leading scorer Costa might be heading for pastures new this summer, but Atletico are not going anywhere. Simeone has now created a winning mentality at the Vicente Calderon, but they must now switch their attention to the small matter of the Champions League final against Real Madrid next weekend.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Filipe Luis: The Atletico defender has not been deemed good enough to travel with the Brazil squad for the World Cup this summer, but for many, he has been the best left-back in the world this season. It was another sensational showing from the 28-year-old this evening. When called upon, he was strong and tactically aware in defensive positions, while he remained a threat in wide areas throughout the contest. Some Atletico legs were clearly tiring in the latter stages, but Luis continued to patrol the left side of the field. It was just about the perfect display from the full-back.
Biggest gaffe
Barcelona's defending from set pieces has been their Achilles heel in recent seasons and that was indeed the case this evening. In the early stages of the second period, Godin was allowed to rise unmarked inside the box before powering his header into the bottom corner. It was a brilliant effort from the centre-back, but there was simply no challenge. It was not the defining moment, but it allowed Atletico to equalise during their best spell of the match.
Referee performance
Antonio Mateu would not have expected an easy ride in the biggest match of the Spanish season and that proved to be correct. The Spanish official issued three yellow cards in a high-tempo first period, before booking Messi and Sergio Busquets for dissent while the duo were leaving the field at the interval. Four more yellows arrived in the second half, but none were particularly controversial. Barcelona felt that they should have been awarded a penalty late on when Gerard Pique fell under pressure from Godin inside the box, but Mateu was not interested. The referee let the match flow in the correct areas, meanwhile, and should be credited for contributing to the end-to-end nature of the contest.
What next?
Barcelona: Barca's disappointing season has ended without silverware. Now they must focus on their managerial situation and transfer targets for the summer.
Atletico: The capital outfit face rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League final next weekend.
Matt Law
