As one of the world's top managers, Ancelotti and Simeone had such firm control of the match that major surprises were basically impossible.
Both managers' predictions for the first half had largely come true, with only a few unexpected developments.
Just nine minutes after kickoff, Diego Costa could no longer continue.
The Brazilian-born Spanish forward had been extremely active from the start, pressing High Press against Real Madrid's defense. But after one sprint, he clearly felt something was wrong and could not continue. Adrian replaced him.
Simeone's gamble had failed!
Losing that bet cost Atletico Madrid a valuable substitution and also deprived them of their attacking focal point for counterattacks.
The combination of Villa and Adrian could not replace Diego Costa by any measure—tactical role, playing style, or individual ability. Villa was a world-class forward, but he was undeniably getting old.
This created the earliest substitution in Champions League Final history.
Simeone looked extremely frustrated on the sidelines. Clearly, at that moment, he felt that the goddess of fortune was not on his side that night.
Atletico Madrid continued to use their High Press tactic. It was what they excelled at and their only possible way to defeat Real Madrid. Real Madrid, however, chose not to meet them head-on. Instead, they appropriately fell back and used possession to wear Atletico Madrid down.
Simeone knew what Real Madrid intended, but he had no choice.
Only the strong had choices. The weak could only accept their fate!
Besides their rabid pressing, Simeone's team also committed frequent fouls.
The two teams were local archrivals, and Dutch referee Kuipers had been lenient with his calls. After testing him several times early on, Atletico Madrid figured out the Dutch referee's style and began putting more force into their challenges, giving the match an intense smell