Diego Simeone started clapping and how the Atlético Madrid supporters responded. There was still time to play in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City at the Metropolitano, the additional nine minutes not yet up and there would be even more than that, as it turned out.
The Atlético manager later explained that his applause was for the fans, who had built a wall of noise during the tie, a fulminating backdrop to a high-stakes occasion. But why did he go so early with it?
