JULIANA MET HER HOME
There is no worse rival in the Champions League for Atlético de Madrid than their neighbor “the Cheats,” and not because they play good football, but because they resort to every possible trick (even the most devious) to advance on their path to the “Big Ears” trophy.
The draw (or who knows who) decided that there would be another derby in the Champions League to reach the round of sixteen, with the return leg taking place at the Metropolitano Stadium. We decided that this would be the perfect day for our lucky mascot Juliana to visit what is her true home for the first time and introduce herself to our crowd.
On the 12th, the pre-game festivities began very early. It was freezing cold, and it had been raining nonstop in Madrid for weeks, but that didn’t stop thousands of fans from starting to heat up the atmosphere around the stadium early on. Taking advantage of a break in the rain, people gathered for drinks, sang, and cheered the team while waiting for the bus to arrive via Arcentales. When it finally arrived, the whole sky turned red, the flames seemed to engulf everything, and the chants could be heard everywhere, drowning out the noise of traffic. As always, the team’s reception was spectacular for such a crucial match.
Juliana had to experience the Brindis and meet our favorite band, the Metropolitano Rock Band, so we headed there. Nieves took charge of bringing her along, accompanied by some journalists, and along the way, we witnessed firsthand that she is a true star: everyone knows her, asks to take photos with her, showers her with compliments, and pets her, convinced she will bring good luck. At the Brindis, the spider danced to the rhythm of the South Stand chants and passed from hand to hand; even today, many people tell us they saw our spider from afar but couldn’t get close because of the crowd surrounding her. We are already predicting it: someday (save this text) she will be part of the Atlético de Madrid museum.
The match began, and we went up to our seats. Txus was with me, and we both felt a bit apprehensive because we already knew what the ones in white are capable of. Atlético de Madrid scored a goal in the very first minute, and the Metropolitano almost collapsed with excitement. The crowd was fully behind the team from the first moment, and our team was delivering a memorable performance. They couldn’t beat us, and given the first-leg result, we had no choice but to win.
We all know how they are; lately, the only way they can beat us is by cheating, which is what they’re used to. They waited until the penalty shootout to inexplicably disallow a goal by Julián Álvarez, our spider, and advance to the next round that way. A colossal disgrace that has made headlines everywhere, but the Cheats and the organization that protects them couldn’t care less — just like our management, who haven’t lifted a finger to clarify the situation and, with their attitude, have abandoned the fans, the coach, and the team, even after giving it their all.
They knocked us out of the competition with tricks and schemes, as they have so many times before, but we walk away with our heads held high, convinced that our Juliana has still never seen Atlético de Madrid lose.
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