Celtic 2-2 Atletico Madrid: Diego Simeone at centre of Champions League anarchy
- Published
Diego Simeone has twice taken Atletico to the Champions League final
Diego Simeone scrunched his nose, gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, and waved a comforting hand in the face of the anarchy raining down around him.
It was a small gesture in a big moment. His Atletico Madrid team had just conceded a startlingly early Champions League goal at Celtic Park, but the man in the big padded jacket on the touchline seemed unperturbed.
As an exhausting first half unravelled in front of his eyes, the Argentine's downward spiral was almost as lively as the absorbing contest in front of his, at times, exasperated face.
This ground on these nights does strange things to people, albeit not recently. Eleven years have gone by since Barcelona, arguably the greatest ensemble of footballers in modern times, were humbled in the east end of Glasgow.
Thirteen minutes after Kyogo Furuhashi's opener, Nahuel Molina's panicked clearance into the stand was met with a two-handed signal from Simeone appealing for calm.
An Atletico corner, which within 15 seconds was being desperately defended at the other end of the pitch, triggered a similar response as the Spaniards toiled.
Even in the relief of Antoine Griezmann turning in the rebound from his own saved penalty, Simeone's earlier shouts for composure continued.
Luis Palma's shot brought Celtic Park to its feet. The Atletico coach muttered to himself frantically, while 15 yards to his left Brendan Rodgers punched the Glasgow sky.
By the time the clock hit half an hour, the jacket had been ditched. You half expected Simeone to be down to his bare chest by the break.
A Matt O'Riley shot arrowed at Jan Oblak brought Simeone to a crouch with his gasp hidden behind his hands, while Axel Witsel's disallowed goal just before the break was met with a desperate glance to his bench for a VAR intervention.
'From flummoxed to phenomenal at flick of switch'
While Simeone had a tough first 45 minutes, spare a thought for his left-back.
Javier Galan was making his first start of the season, and it only lasted until the interval. He was culpable for both Celtic goals, firstly for not following Kyogo, then standing off Palma. He also repeatedly gave Daizen Maeda encouragement to stretch his legs.
Simeone's team switched from flummoxed to phenomenal at the flick of a switch at times, mostly at the feet of Griezmann.
But it was Alvaro Morata who would level with a header that brought about such celebration from his coach that the Argentine spent the next minute hobbling about his technical area.
Atletico came into this one on the back of six straight victories, but there would not be one coming to give Simeone something positive to get worked up over.
Despite his gesturing, frantic pacing, waving and appealing for composure from his lot, their attacking momentum effectively ended when Rodrigo de Paul picked up a daft second booking.
Simeone's response? Manic gesticulating towards the dark Glasgow sky. There were no answers coming back.
His team's race had been run, a late chance for a breakaway from Griezmann instead being held up at half way telling its own story.
Instead, the game finished with an exhausted Celtic lumbering forward looking for the win to end that decade of frustration in the Champions League.
While that goal never materialised, the frustration was to lie with someone else this time.