It took just 22 seconds for Koke to put Atletico Madrid ahead against Sporting and from there it was an uphill battle for the Portuguese side. Diego Simeone and his players were in complete control.
Antoine Griezmann doubled their lead before the break and 2-0 was how it stayed. This was, in many ways, a vintage European performance from Atletico: balanced, solid, efficient, aware of the importance of denying their opposition an away goal.
After Thursday night’s quarter-final first legs, it is difficult to look past Atletico as strong favourites to win the Europa League. Koke himself admitted it. "It is normal that we are seen as favourites, with all we have done in Europe these years," he said.
All they have done is impressive, far more so than those that remain in the competition. Twice they have reached the final of the Champions League in the last four years, losing on both occasions to rivals Real Madrid.
Such pedigree is hard to ignore: Atletico have experience of progression in the latter stages of European competition and are notoriously difficult to beat over two legs.
Even on the merits of this season alone, though, Simeone’s side appear the most balanced of the remaining teams in the Europa League. They are imposing defensively – Atletico have kept nine successive clean sheets at the Wanda Metropolitano – and have improved significantly in attack since a slow start to the season. The arrival of Diego Costa in January has provided a much-needed focal point, and he has formed an enviable partnership with Griezmann.
One gets the feeling that, if they were still in the Champions League, Atletico would be considered amongst the favourites. A poor group stage meant they were knocked out in the early stages of that competition, but it is an indication nonetheless of their impressive form since the turn of the year.
It is unlikely, too, that Simeone and his players will be overly concerned by what they have seen elsewhere. Arsenal and Lazio won flamboyantly against CSKA Moscow and Red Bull Salzburg respectively, but both demonstrated concerning defensive vulnerabilities.
Who progresses in the tie between RB Leipzig and Marseille, meanwhile, remains to be seen, although neither are quite at the level of Atletico.
Atlético Madrid have scored after just 23 seconds against Sporting Lisbon.
TWENTY-THREE SECONDS! 😲
And therein lies the salient point: Atletico are a level above the competition. This is a side used to competing for Europe’s most prestigious trophy; in 2014 they came within minutes of lifting the Champions League and were denied two years later by virtue of a penalty shootout.
The Europa League was a competition that had been forgotten. Simeone guided Atletico to success in the competition in 2012, but that was before the club had been established as Champions League regulars.
It would be a surprise, then, if Atletico do not win this season’s Europa League. They will, of course, be wary of complacency, and aware that in a final nothing is guaranteed, but they will likely be equally confident in their own ability.
Certainly, motivation will not be lacking. Simeone has insisted that winning the competition would better their recent efforts in the Champions League. "It's an important achievement to be runner-up in an important competition such as the Champions League but it's always better to be the champion,” he said ahead of the win over Sporting. “That's obvious."
It’s obvious, too, that Atletico will represent formidable opposition for anyone who meets them in the closing stages of the Europa League.
