It was confirmed on Wednesday night following Atletico Madrid's 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge that this year's Champions League final would be the first in history between two teams from the same city. Real Madrid and Atletico have had some fine encounters through the years, so ahead of the bitter rivalry continuing, Sports Mole looks back at some of the best clashes between the two sides.
1. Real 1-3 Atletico, 1999
On matchday 10 of the 1999-00 season both of these teams were struggling in La Liga. Real, the hosts, were ninth, some eight points behind Barcelona, while Atletico were in an early battle against relegation in 16th. A win was vital for both teams, but it was the away side who managed it in a frantic first half. Fernando Morientes opened the scoring, but a brace from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and another from Jose Mari saw Atletico win in the Bernabeu in the league for the first time in 50 years.
2. Atletico 2-1 Real, 2013
People may well look to last year's Copa del Rey final to see how the two teams are likely to clash in the Champions League later this month. And clash would be the key word. The 2013 final was as bitter a game as any El Clasico has been recently, with Cristiano Ronaldo and his manager Jose Mourinho both sent off, while Gabi was also dismissed for Atletico. In the end Atletico won 2-1 from behind in extra time, which was their first win in 26 attempts since the 1999 victory above. Expect fireworks in a few weeks.
3. Atletico 1-4 Real Madrid, 2012
If Ronaldo had a bad night after scoring for Real in last year's Copa final, he had torn the red half of Madrid apart the previous year with a sensational hat-trick. One strike was a trademark long-range free kick that swirled in the air to give Thibault Courtois no chance and another was arguably even better, with a dipping strike from the angle looping into the far corner. Atletico had harried their opponents, but in Ronaldo Madrid had the quality to halt Barcelona's push behind them in the league table.
4. Atletico 2-3 Real, 2009
Atletico managed to salvage an otherwise disappointing season in 2009-10 with victory in the Europa League having finished ninth in La Liga. Just as they hit form at the end of the season, they almost managed to save an unlikely draw from their home clash against Real in the league. Kaka, Marcelo and Gonzalo Higuain had put Real 3-0 ahead, and despite two quick goals from Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero the white half of the city held on for the bragging rights.
5. Real 2-2 Atletico, 2003
Many classic matches have twists and turns throughout, and this one was no exception. Atletico were in Real's shadow at this point in time, but they showed that they were not going to be pushed over with a very exciting 2-2 draw in 2003. Javi Moreno put them ahead before Ivan Helguera was sent off for the hosts early on. Real then turned it around with goals from Luis Figo before Garcia Calvo's red card levelled the numbers. Just as it was looking like ending in disappointment for the visitors, Demetrio Albertini levelled in the dying moments with a free kick.
Matt Domm
