The draw sparked a lot of discussion in the media.
But since the quarterfinals would not begin until April,
and all the major leagues were now entering the crucial stretch of the second half of the season,
Atlético Madrid were in exactly the same situation.
After 24 league matches, Atlético had 22 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, giving them 67 points and first place.
Barcelona were just two points behind Atlético in second.
Real Madrid, in third place, had only 49 points and posed no real threat to the top two.
The league race between Barça and Atlético had entered its most intense phase.
With both teams so consistent this season, any dropped point could be fatal.
Even in midweek league matches, Simeone still could not afford to take things lightly.
But in Matchday 25, against Espanyol, he still dared not be careless.
With the exception of Raúl García and Juanfran, who were carrying minor knocks,
every other position was filled by a starter.
Simeone could not be blamed for being so cautious.
In La Liga,
many clubs had unofficial alignments.
Espanyol, for example, were seen as Real Madrid's little brother.
When they faced one of Madrid's rivals, they would really put in the work.
Even if they could not win, they would try to annoy you—make you run more, raise the physical intensity, and even create situations where your players might pick up injuries.
This match was no different.
Atlético were up against a team that only wanted to break up the game with fouls.
But Espanyol's tricks did not frighten Atlético Madrid.
Using the opponent's fouls to his advantage, Shane scored a direct free kick in the 23rd minute.
But that still was not enough to make Espanyol back off.
So in the 53rd minute,
from almost the exact same position,
he scored another direct free kick.
By then the score was already 3-0.
In the end,
Atlético Madrid beat Espanyol 3-0 at home and collected all three points in comfort.
...
A week later,
Atlético Madrid traveled away to face Málaga.
Málaga were in the most glorious period of their history.
They had also reached the Champions League quarterfinals, setting the best result ever for the club.
Playing at home, Málaga naturally had plenty of fighting spirit.
Because of the burden of Champions League matches, they were now in sixth place in the league, four points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad.
They needed points to make sure they would finish in the top four again and secure Champions League football every season.
For many clubs,
being able to qualify for the Champions League consistently means the prize money and broadcast revenue can create a healthy cycle.
That mattered greatly for any club.
And it mattered even more for Málaga.
Because Financial Fair Play was about to take effect.
They had received huge investment from Middle Eastern owners.
But if they could not qualify for the Champions League, their income might not meet FFP requirements, and then...
the Málaga side at its peak could be thrown into chaos.
After all, at the end of the day, they were still a small club.
Without power or influence.
UEFA could deal with you whenever it wanted.
Unless you were like Manchester City, with a billionaire owner willing to spend hundreds of millions every year just to maintain a huge legal team that even UEFA would be wary of.
Otherwise,
if Málaga failed to qualify for the Champions League next season, they could easily become the chicken UEFA chose to kill in order to scare the monkeys.
So Málaga fought very hard.
This match was played at a very high intensity.
Atlético scored in the 7th minute.
Shane delivered a free kick from the left side into the box, and Miranda headed it in.
Atlético took the lead.
But after that, the home side Málaga mounted a comeback.
In the 33rd minute,
Isco dribbled past several defenders at the edge of the box and slipped a through ball in. Málaga striker Santa Cruz darted in and scored from close range.
Málaga equalized.
Shortly after the second half began,
Shane drove into the edge of the box and blasted a long-range shot through the opponent's goal to score his 24th league goal of the season.
Atlético took the lead again.
However, before the final whistle,
Isco drew a foul through a dribble, and from the resulting set piece he completed the equalizer.
Atlético were held to a tough draw by Málaga at La Rosaleda.
After that round of fixtures,
Atlético had 68 points.
Barcelona also used the opportunity to catch up and level the points gap.
Atlético and Barça were both on 68 points.
Atlético remained first only by virtue of goal difference.
After this round,
the Catalan media were very excited.
[Mundo Deportivo]: The later the season gets, the more squad depth matters. Atlético Madrid's single lineup can't possibly last until the end of the league campaign!
[Sport]: The crossover is here! Barcelona are going to rise, Atlético Madrid are going to fall!
Barcelona fans also hoped to see Atlético continue slipping.
But to their disappointment,
the next two league matches went Atlético's way.
They beat fourth-placed Real Sociedad at home in Matchday 27,
and then defeated Osasuna away in Matchday 28.
In those same two rounds,
Barcelona suffered the same fate Atlético had just experienced: they were held at home by Málaga.
Right after the Catalan media started shouting about a death cross,
Barcelona fell two points behind again.
The Spanish media could only marvel.
This season's battle for the league title between Barça and Atlético was incredibly intense.
Another fiercely contested race was the scoring chart.
At this point,
Messi was first with 27 goals.
Shane was second with 24.
And Cristiano Ronaldo was third with 23.
They were a full class above every other scorer in the league.
But beyond those 24 goals,
Shane also had 20 assists.
In that category,
no one in La Liga could catch him.
The second-best assist total belonged to Messi, who had 14.
He trailed Shane by a full six.
In the raw numbers,
Shane was not falling behind Messi or Ronaldo at all; in fact, he was holding a slight edge.
Considering that he spent most of his time on the pitch far from goal,
his overall contribution to matches was actually greater than either of the two stars.
After this round of fixtures,
there was a two-week international break.
Shane had to report to the Spanish national team.
During the break, Spain would play Scotland and France, and Shane would start both matches as the team prepared for this summer's Confederations Cup...
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