The 5 best Atletico Madrid games under Diego Simeone

2. Atletico Madrid 1-1 Barcelona – 2013-14 La Liga, Matchday 38

The 2013-14 La Liga season seemed destined for yet another back-and-forth duel between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Barca were coming off of a 100-point campaign just a season after Real Madrid also hit the century mark for points. They also each went out and spent more than €100 million over the 2013 summer transfer window.

But to the grand surprise of many in Spain, Atletico Madrid emerged as a dark horse contender. For 22 straight weeks, Diego Costa and David Villa led Los Rojiblancos to a second-place standing until they finally reached the top of the table after matchday 22. But a 2-0 loss to Almeria sent them down to 3rd after matchday 23. Atletico reached first once again following Real Madrid’s 4-3 loss to Barca on matchday 29, which meant that Simeone’s side controlled their own destiny in league play the rest of the way.

In typical Atletico fashion, the league finish was stressful as could be for Los Colchoneros. Simeone had a tumultuous end to the season with a 2-0 loss to Levante followed by a 1-1 draw to Malaga. But with Barca and Real also dropping points in their final games, it kept Atletico at first by a slim three-point margin.

So, it all came down to one final match: Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona at Camp Nou on matchday 38. A win or draw for Atletico would give them the title, but a Barca win hands the Blaugrana back-to-back league titles.

The game itself unfolded just as expected. The passion and intensity from the Atletico players were at an all-time high. But they had to battle adversity in the first half with Diego Costa’s thigh injury forcing him off the pitch, which was then followed by Alexis Sanchez’s opening goal for the hosts.

Still, it all did not faze Atletico as they clawed their way to a Diego Godin goal at the 49th minute. Hearts dropped in Madrid when Messi struck the back of the net with a volley in the second half, but order was restored as he was ruled offside on the play.

In the end, the whistle blew for the final time, and Atletico were crowned champions of Spain. The Camp Nou rose up in applause and appreciation for a team who overcame the odds to dethrone the Barca and Real Madrid reign of dominance. This was Atletico’s first La Liga title since the 1995-1996 campaign — a season led by a group of relentless players like Diego Simeone.

The league title triumph is even more impressive when taking into account the fact that Atletico spent a mere €36 million in the 2013 transfer window compared to €100+ million from Barca and Real. Atletico also finished undefeated in league play against the Blaugrana and Los Blancos over the season.