More whistles than flutes – AS.com

Before the whistles rained on Griezmann's name when he appeared on the video scoreboard, there were nerves. Those of those 40,098 people. What shirt were they wearing, clear your throat. To live again and not only to see Atleti, in the stadium, under that music, the champiooons. It was not mixed with the whistles. Because when Atleti jumped onto the field under that anthem, Griezmann did it in a tracksuit. Simeone protected him from the start on the bench. That nothing distracts from this moment. First day of Champions. The Porto. Between the a cappella love, the scarves, t-shirts and the feeling that life is returning, life to dry. And the whistles sounded but not the flute.

Porto immediately stole the ball from an Atleti with João Félix, Lemar and Kondogbia. Conceição's team had jumped like a granite block. You could read it on Pepe's face when he went down the stairs to the game, before starting, concentrated, contracted. They immediately carried him to the grass, filling every space. They had come to play and the leather did not burn. And they took all the duels, disputes, jumps, transitions. As if this was not a first round but a life or death tie. The group, how tough.

At ten minutes, Oblak abroncaba, as goalkeeper and second captain. For the blandiblú of the defense against a career of Luis Díaz. Because he asked for more concentration, to match the granite. In five minutes Simeone was shouting it. Hoarse already. Rearranging his players, the system, from 5-3-2 to 4-4-2 in defense. What he saw did not convince him. The only danger for his team had been a distant shot from Suárez, at the beginning, which Diogo Costa took away from his goal like someone removing a speck of dust.

The party was choking in that fight for space. João was but no, transparent, with all his talent, you know where, once again. Felipe seemed to still be playing with them. Llorente turned off as a lane, without speed or surprise. Carrasco was outnumbered by Otavio and Corona. All motionless. All but one: Kondogbia, made of reinforced concrete. In the absence of imagination, his muscle. He played Bolt to prevent Zaidu from finishing off, alone, a deep ball from Taremi, then he took it out, without a penalty, and the duel was equalized. The plan was to wear down, stone by stone, before storming. Before the break, Simeone lost Lemar, injured, replaced by De Paul. Those of Conceição, meanwhile, only knew how to reap. Luis Díaz tattooed Giménez's heels on his heel. Zaidu stomps Koke, also swept by Uribe. Yellow, yellow, yellow. Some with an orange soul.

Goal annulled to Porto

The second part started with a tachycardic thump on the wood. Porto had come out pressing even more, suffocating in the night. And he took it to the feet of Oblak with a center shot from Luis Díaz that poisoned himself until he crashed into the post. Not only the gloves of San Jan know miracles, also their clubs.

Pepe was retiring, injured, when Simeone looked back. Triple change. And that moment: Griezmann on the grass at home. The Frenchman came out between whistles again (and some applause) with the ambition to embrace Carl Bard's phrase: “Although no one can go back and have a new beginning, everyone can start from now and have a new ending.” The bench was a hinge between a before and after. Atleti began to arrive in danger. But is that with Grizi Lodi went and, above all, Correa, a footballer capable of making himself, with his twists, space in a wisp. He found one towards Diogo Costa's goal and fired. But this goalkeeper is also a fronton. The after only lasted a little while. Very little.

Taremi silenced the Metropolitan shortly after. Lodi helped, with a pass back to Oblak, Kondogbia, converted central by the entrance of Herrera, remained stopped. He thought the goalkeeper was coming, but no, Taremi did it before. The ball passed the lime when the referee called the VAR: he had hit him in the arm. Canceled. Simeone turned around. He asked for a voice. And there was. And also more whistles, to Mbemba, when he dropped Grizi on the way to the area. Suarez's free-kick was shaving the crossbar when the end was whistled. The flute did not sound. Atleti finished the game as it started. Tie. And those of Conceição pierced in the throat.