Simeone and Suárez lead Atlético to La Liga title as Real fall short

Atlético Madrid won La Liga, Diego Simeone secured his second Spanish League crown as coach and Luis Suárez found vindication, with the latter's goal securing a 2-1 victory over Real Valladolid on Saturday that clinched another remarkable title. 

Suárez began the season crying after being forced out of Barcelona but ended it with his 21st goal of the season earning Atlético a first league triumph since 2014, this one at the expense of Real Madrid. 

Atlético knew victory would guarantee them the title regardless of what Real Madrid did at home to Villarreal but it was never comfortable, with Valladolid taking a shock early lead. 

Real Madrid were behind too for most of the afternoon but Karim Benzema equalised in the 87th minute and Luka Modric even scored a late winner for 2-1 at Valdebebas, leaving Atlético hanging on at the end, as they were suddenly one goal away from squandering it all. 

When the final whistle blew, the players ran onto the pitch, Suárez underneath a pile of red and white shirts, with Europe's most nerve-wracking and unpredictable title race finally complete. 

Just over a week ago, coach Diego Simeone said this was the "Suárez Zone" and so it proved, the Uruguayan scoring the winner against Osasuna last week to keep the title in Atletico's hands and then again on the last day to put their name on the trophy. 

This is only the second time in 17 years that a team other than Barcelona or Real Madrid have won the title, with Atléti claiming the other one under Simeone in 2014. 

Atlético went into the game having been top since December and on the back of beating Osasuna with two goals in the last eight minutes, a victory that was so dramatic it felt like it would prove decisive. 

But Atlético have done nothing the easy way this season, with their 10-point lead in February cut to two in May and their position at the top of the table relying on numerous slip-ups from both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

So it was apt that faced with beating Real Valladolid, who were 19th in the table, they still had to scrape over the line.

Several hundred Atlético fans gathered in Valladolid's Plaza Mayor in the hours before kick-off to sing songs and a similar number made it outside the stadium, where they were cordoned off in a cess-pit of nerves and anticipation. 

Players screamed

Suárez had a couple of early openings but any hopes for a comfortable afternoon were dashed in the 18th minute when Valladolid took the lead. 

It came from an Atlético corner as Yannick Carrasco lost the ball and Valladolid broke at speed, pinging passes through midfield and finally through to Oscar Plano, the former Real Madrid youngster who pulled away and fired past Jan Oblak. 

There was plenty of time left and the other consolation for Atlético was Real Madrid fell behind too, Gerard Moreno's poked pass causing confusion at the back, with Yeremi Pino prodding Villarreal into the lead. 

Atlético pushed as Suárez's effort curled wide and Felipe headed straight at Jordi Masip but they also looked for calm. Players screamed at Oblak to give the team a moment to regroup. Simeone told the substitutes to quieten down. 

Both title contenders were trailing at half-time but Atlético came out with renewed vigour and a crucial few minutes fell their way. 

Real Madrid struck first, Benzema heading in Casemiro's cross before Ángel Correa levelled for Atlético as well, collecting on the edge of the area and firing through the legs of Jawad El Yamiq. 

Atlético's equaliser, though, was made all the more precious after Real Madrid's was ruled out, Benzema's left arm shown to be offside by VAR. 

Valladolid might have scored again but Shon Weissman headed over with the goal gaping and then Atletico took the lead, a gift of a pass-back by Sergi Guardiola allowing Suárez to skip clear. 

Suárez slid the ball past Masip before ending up under a pile of Atlético teammates. 

Real Madrid equalised in the 87th minute, Benzema curving a delightful finish into the top corner and it was still not over, Modric scoring again to leave Atlético with some nail-biting final moments. 

Luis Suarez, Atletico Madrid vindicated by La Liga title win, a crown that means more to Rojiblanco fans in 'different' year

Luis Suarez, Atletico Madrid vindicated by La Liga title win, a crown that means more to Rojiblanco fans in 'different' year

When Atleti's leading goal scorer, their saviour, tried to make sense of his feelings, when he politely tried to answer the questions, we all saw him in a state we've not witnessed in public before. But that was just the beginning.

While Simeone took over the mic, and uttered some of the most beguiling, admirable and characterful sentences I've ever heard from him, Suarez was on the phone to someone he loves -- his wife Sofia Balbi, I'll wager. By now the tears were streaming down his cheeks, he was kind of shaking his head in disbelief at how consumed by emotion he was and the process of breathing, speaking and containing those huge sobs was making his chest heave in and out.

If we stop for a moment, it's clear that this wasn't simply about triumph. Suarez has won so much, been a central participant in magnificent victories, and ever since finding peace by moving from Anfield to Camp Nou he's redeemed himself without the merest hint that he might fall back into that uncontrollable rage that once saw him bite opponents and racially abuse Patrice Evra. So the fact that he was engulfed by the enormity of becoming Spain's champion, again, and leading Atleti to much lusted-after glory was not solely about winning.

Nor was it solely about the fact that he was hurt by the rejection of Barcelona far more than he's ever let on in public -- possibly hurt more than he'd even acknowledged to himself before. When you prove your enemies wrong there's satisfaction, but there's also a moment when the self doubts, the immense fear that those who put you down might be right this time, which have been gnawing at your subconscious, are vanquished once and for all.

However the third layer to what was going on was, I believe, the most important reason for seeing the hero of the hour seated on the grass involuntarily rendered helpless by a tsunami of emotion that, I'm willing to wager, he'd have normally felt like mocking in someone else. That most important reason was what Simeone went to immediately when asked what he felt about having become Spain's champion again, his third time at Atleti, having won the cup and league double as a wonderful midfielder in 1995-96 then as coach in 2013-14.

Having admitted that the referee's whistle, which ended the tortuous tension for Atleti's man in black, brought a smile surging up from inside him and the urge to laugh, Simeone then cut to the chase.

"This has been a time when so many Atleti fans have died, when we've lost people all over the world to the strangest and most difficult of situations," he said. "We've all suffered and to be able to bring people this happiness, to give them something after all they've been through ... this is different. This is the best."

And he's right. Atleti have achieved something they've not managed since the mid-1960s. In every single league title win since 1966, Real Madrid haven't really been a force. Since then, when Los Rojiblancos have been champions of La Liga, Los Blancos have variously been fourth, sixth, ninth and even in 2014 Madrid were five points adrift on the final day. This has been the first time since the year England won the World Cup that Atletico have seen off their neighbours, their often loathed superiors, the team and the club that has dominated world football since the European Cup was born.

The fact that Atleti comprehensively lost the first Madrid derbi of the season and then tossed away a 1-0 lead in the second -- having played exceptionally well, far better than Zinedine Zidane's side until Karim Benzema's equaliser two minutes from time -- had preyed on the consciousnesses of Simeone, the board, the experienced players and the fans. Zidane's team, against a hurricane of injuries and COVID absences, kept finding a way to cling on to Atleti, to make sure that if Simeone's mob tripped up just one more time, they'd be there.

Having admitted that the referee's whistle, which ended the tortuous tension for Atleti's man in black, brought a smile surging up from inside him and the urge to laugh, Simeone then cut to the chase.

"This has been a time when so many Atleti fans have died, when we've lost people all over the world to the strangest and most difficult of situations," he said. "We've all suffered and to be able to bring people this happiness, to give them something after all they've been through ... this is different. This is the best."

And he's right. Atleti have achieved something they've not managed since the mid-1960s. In every single league title win since 1966, Real Madrid haven't really been a force. Since then, when Los Rojiblancos have been champions of La Liga, Los Blancos have variously been fourth, sixth, ninth and even in 2014 Madrid were five points adrift on the final day. This has been the first time since the year England won the World Cup that Atletico have seen off their neighbours, their often loathed superiors, the team and the club that has dominated world football since the European Cup was born.

The fact that Atleti comprehensively lost the first Madrid derbi of the season and then tossed away a 1-0 lead in the second -- having played exceptionally well, far better than Zinedine Zidane's side until Karim Benzema's equaliser two minutes from time -- had preyed on the consciousnesses of Simeone, the board, the experienced players and the fans. Zidane's team, against a hurricane of injuries and COVID absences, kept finding a way to cling on to Atleti, to make sure that if Simeone's mob tripped up just one more time, they'd be there.

Yet he took time to think of the impact this will have on others. Those who've suffered because of the pandemic, those who've suffered because they're Atleti fans and Madrid get the chance, over and again, to lord it in Spain's capital.

(In a side note, I absolutely love the fact that Madrid, minutes after the final whistle of their hard-fought 2-1 comeback win over Villarreal that would have retained the title if Valladolid had somehow conjured up a late goal, used Twitter to warmly congratulate Atleti and their fans for winning the 2020-21 Spanish title. Sheer class. Lovely touch of grace.)

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