Limited time for revelry for La Liga champions Atletico

MADRID (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid have little time to celebrate their stunning La Liga triumph and must immediately turn their focus on Saturday's Champions League final against city rivals Real Madrid.





Atletico sealed their first La Liga title in 18 years thanks to a 1-1 draw at Barcelona on Saturday and now have a chance to win a first continental crown and deny their wealthy neighbours a record-extending 10th.

"Without a doubt today we were able to make history," coach Diego Simeone, who has transformed the club into genuine contenders in Spain and Europe since taking over at the end of 2011, told a news conference.

"But we have to play on Saturday and we have to prepare ourselves for Saturday," added the former Argentina captain, who was in the Atletico team the last time they won La Liga in 1996.

The European showpiece in Lisbon is the first between two teams from the same city in the 59-year history of Europe's elite club competition.

It will be Real's 13th appearance in the final and the first since they won their ninth crown in 2002, while Atletico have only made the final once before, losing to Bayern Munich in 1974 after a replay.

"It is an honour to be part of this team and be able to compete with the big clubs," captain Gabi told Spanish TV.

"Now of course we will celebrate and then from Monday we will focus on the Champions League."

Saturday's La Liga showdown at the Nou Camp, when Atletico came from behind to secure the point they needed to clinch the title, did not come without a cost, however.

Top scorer Diego Costa and playmaker Arda Turan, key performers this season, were forced off in the first half with hamstring and hip injuries respectively.

The club did not say how long they might be sidelined but local media said Costa was a serious doubt for the Champions League final, while Arda was expected to be able to play.

Brazil-born Costa, who netted 27 goals in La Liga last term and has eight in this season's Champions League, is in the preliminary Spain squad for the World Cup finals and is expected to be included in the holders' final list for the tournament in Brazil starting next month.





(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Sudipto Ganguly)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world