Although they were 1-0 up from the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 encounter against Liverpool, once Atletico Madrid went 2-0 behind in the second leg at Anfield, it was the Reds that were favourites to progress.
The Rojiblancos went on to win the match 3-2 of course, and therefore the tie, but one of their players didn’t appear to be in any doubt that it would happen.
Back in November 2019, Alvaro Morata was interviewed by COPE, cited by MARCA in English, and the former Chelsea and Real Madrid striker suggested that Jurgen Klopp’s side could come a cropper if they were drawn against the team from the Wanda Metropolitano.
“Liverpool may play against Atletico and may not reach the Champions League final,” Morata is quoted as saying.
“You never know. This is football; every team has their methods and we play our football.”
Atleti’s defensive display, Marcos Llorente’s finishing and a large slice of luck on the night ensured that they progressed at the expense of the reigning champions.
Morata’s late goal was the icing on the cake for Diego Simeone’s team, but they’ll have to wait to see if their efforts are in vain, given that no one knows what will happen next because of the coronavirus outbreak.