鈥楥ruel鈥 loss in 2014 final not wearing down Atleti
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WITH the pain still fresh in their minds, Atletico Madrid has an added motivation for today’s UEFA Champions League final rematch against Real Madrid in Milan.
Atletico was on the verge of claiming Europe’s premier club competition in 2014 when Real equalized in stoppage time and went on to win 4-1.
“The past is not worth considering now,” Atletico captain Gabi Fernandez said. “You can only judge us on what we do tomorrow. We have the talent to beat Real and that’s what we’re going to try to do.
“It was a cruel defeat,” Fernandez said of the match two years ago. “We’re happy to have another chance.”
One Atletico player who has won the prestigious trophy is former Chelsea forward Fernando Torres, but he said it would be extra special to repeat that feat with his childhood club.
For Spain, Torres scored a goal in the final both times his country won the European Championship, in 2008 and 2012. He also won the World Cup.
“Tomorrow is the most important game I will play ever,” Torres said. “I’m very happy to be playing with this club. I’ve been playing with them since I was 5. I was very lucky to win the competition with Chelsea and so much with Spain, but this is something very special for me.”
Torres progressed through the ranks at Atletico before moving to Liverpool and then Chelsea. He had a disappointing four-month loan spell at AC Milan before returning to Atletico at the start of 2015.
The 32-year-old striker will be hoping to cap his rehabilitation with club soccer’s biggest prize.
“Tomorrow means everything to me, everything you dream when you’re a kid,” Torres said. “Tomorrow I have the chance to make this dream come true. It’s just what I wanted when I was a kid. Tomorrow is the game of my life without doubt.”
Real, managed by French great Zinedin Zidane, is bidding for an 11th European Cup, while it would be a first for Atletico, but coach Diego Simeone said he is ready.
“I love to have 130 years of history on my back,” the Argentine said. “I love that. I love the pressure.”
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