As the final whistle went at Santiago Bernabeu, the stadium became a cacophony of celebration and haughty derision. Games between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid often end in this way, but this time was different – Atletico had won.
Not since 1999 had they triumphed over their city rivals – and even that victory comes with a caveat, as Los Rojiblancos suffered relegation and spend the two following seasons in Segunda. So Friday's Copa del Rey final win was a long overdue opportunity to exert some bragging rights over their more illustrious counterparts.
The game itself saw Atleti come away with a 2-1 win after extra time, as Miranda's goal sealed the trophy. Cristiano Ronaldo gave Los Blancos the lead in the first half but later saw red for a foul on Gabi, and Diego Costa levelled the game in the 34th minute.
The result served to show the two different directions of either manager involved. Jose Mourinho ended the year without winning a trophy, coining the campaign “the worst season of my career.”, and didn't even finish the game after being sent to the stands following a confrontation with referee Carlos Clos Gomez – which could be his last appearance in the home dugout in Madrid.
Mourinho's persistent disparaging of club icon Iker Casillas and defender Pepe could be the signal the end of the 50-year-old's reign in charge of Los Blancos, as his attitude suggests that of someone looking to get sacked in order to facilitate a move back to London with Chelsea.
An exit seems almost inevitable right now, especially as news broke this week that French side Paris Saint-Germain had turned down an approach from the Santiago Bernabeu side for Coach Carlo Ancelotti, suggesting that the club are preparing for life after Mou.
Many will say that Mourinho's three years in charge of Real Madrid have been a failure, with just a League title, a Copa del Rey triumph and a Spanish Supercopa win to his name, along with three consecutive semi-final exits in the Champions League. But the one constant of recent history is that Atletico Madrid surrender to their rivals, and Friday's embarrassment was symptomatic of the recent malaise that has struck Los Merengues.
Conversely, Atletico boss Diego Simeone clinched his third title during his 18-months at Estadio Vicente Calderon, adding the Copa del Rey to the Europa League and European Super Cup titles in 2012. The Argentine’s burgeoning reputation in the managerial world is well justified, as El Cholo has transformed Atleti's fortunes and with Champions League qualification for next season already secured, the future under Simeone looks bright.
Of course, the rumours surrounding star striker Falcao's proposed move to Monaco continue to hang over the club. The speculated €60m transfer fee would hand the Rojiblancos some more money to use in the transfer market, and Catania winger Alejandro Gomez seems set to be brought in this summer. With Simeone at the helm, it appears that Atleti are destined for further success – with or without Falcao.
There's still a huge gulf in quality of the two sides, but Friday's win could kickstart the bridging of the gap between Madrid's two biggest teams.
