If ever a team epitomised the term "gallant losers", it was Atletico Madrid on Saturday night at the San Siro in Milan. Unbending they remained, unfazed even when Real Madrid's Segio Ramos got his team an early lead, indomitable till their last breath – only to see it all go to waste in the space of a missed penalty kick.
Atletico Madrid equalised in the 80th minute and looked, by far, the better team as the game went into extra time. Real's talismanic coach Zinedine Zidane had used up all his substitutions in the 77th minute of normal time, a naive and potentially fatal mistake.
Even in penalties, Atletico refused to let the game go. Lucas Vazquez's first kick for Madrid was answered with a strike from Atletico's own Antoine Griezmann. Marcelo and Gareth Bale scored for Real but Atletico remained on level terms with Gabi and Saul Niguez scoring, making it 3-3.
And then it happened. Sergio Ramos made it 4-3 but Juanfran's low shot careened back after striking the post. Then the stage was set. Cristiano Ronaldo, anonymous for most of the game, was now offered the chance to win his team their 11th European title. And he did not make a mistake – smashing it in, taking off his shirt and exulting as Atletico's hopes and dreams were cruelly crushed.