Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona is always an important fixture in the La Liga calendar, and Sunday 17 March proved no different.
So when Sportsbreaks.com invited FourFourTwo along to the game, passing up the opportunity simply wasn't an option.
Wandering around the Metropolitano Stadium a few hours before kick-off, it's hard to argue that this isn't one of the most-impressive new stadiums in Europe. Standing like a lone spaceship in the middle of the desert, the stadium sticks out in the suburbs of the Spanish capital with its ovaluar roof and expansive surrounding area.
And from the semi-circular dressing room, where Koke and Jan Oblak hide in the corners away from Diego Simeone's wrath, to the ginormous press conference room which stretches 25 rows back, the inner sanctum of the Metropolitano Stadium is just as impressive as its exterior.
Plus, it had those iconically European dugouts that drop down a couple of steps, meaning your eyes are level with the pitch. A nice little touch for a recently-built stadium, if not a little impractical for the coaches and analysts working pitchside.
Following an impressive stadium tour, the search for a pub or bar screening the FA Cup match between Manchester United and Liverpool became the priority, for a couple of hours at least. But with few in the vicinity of the Metropolitano Stadium, an Irish pub - it was St. Patrick's Day, after all - would have to do.
There was still no screen showing the game, though. Instead, four Englishmen huddled around a singular phone screen to watch the dramatic scenes unfold. This was seriously building the anticipation for the big one later that day.
And it didn't disappoint. In England, a few fans are often milling around the ground 90 minutes before kick-off - but not in Madrid. Thousands of Atleti fans congregated outside the stadium with their cans of beer and pizzas and kebabs sourced from trucks encircling them. Sure, it wasn't classic Spanish cuisine, but it only worked to improve the atmosphere.
Come kick-off, Atleti fans were in fine voice, and excrutiatingly piercing whistles whenever Joao Felix even came close to touching the ball for Barcelona. Bizarrely, the Portuguese forward is still technically an Atletico Madrid player, so his goal to open the scoring in the first half did little to improve the abuse he continued to receive.
But despite the 3-0 scoreline, Barcelona were by no means the more dominant side. They simply bided their time a lot better than the hosts, with Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan changing the tempo of the game at the perfect moments to consolidate their advantage.
Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay came on for the second half to try and turn things around, but a finish within 90 seconds of the restart sucked the life out of Atleti fans and players alike. Fermin Lopez's header in the 65th minute only served to dampen the mood, as Barca's class then started to show.
With that victory, Barcelona move into second place, though they're still eight points behind leaders Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, face a real fight on their hands to qualify for next season's Champions League, with Athletic Bilbao now moving ahead of them into fourth in the table.
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