Photo by Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Metropolitano worked its magic as Atlético advanced. ?It was the best thing that could have happened to us.?
Diego Simeone knew. He usually does. The coach who understands this club better than anyone, the longtime symbol of Atlético Madrid, told reporters Wednesday night that Saturday?s 2-0 loss to relegation-threatened Cádiz was ? counterintuitively ? just what his team needed ahead of its crunch Champions League clash with mighty Inter Milan on Wednesday night.
At face value, that statement doesn?t make much sense, does it" But this is Atlético. It doesn?t need to make sense. It?s something that can?t always be understood with logic or reason. It just needs to be experienced, to be felt and lived with more than 60,000 of your closest friends.
¡¡NO LO PUEDES ENTENDER!! ?? ?? #AúpaAtleti #UCL pic.twitter.com/SaAxuEbAsb? Koke Resurrección (@Koke6) March 14, 2024

?We?re a very different team here at the Metropolitano,? goalscorer Antoine Griezmann told Movistar after the game. ?It?s thanks to the fans. There is an incredible atmosphere, it?s a joy for any player to play for fans like these.?
Internazionale entered this match on the back of a 13-game winning streak. The presumptive Serie A champions had won every single game they had played in this calendar year. But they turned up to the Metropolitano and ? despite opening the scoring through Federico Dimarco ? they lost, 2-1 after...