At the post-match press conference,
Conte spoke about Shane Carter, who had one goal and one assist in Atlético Madrid's away win.
"He was excellent. We spent a great deal of energy in this match thinking about how to defend him, and offensively... we also had to face the opponent's very strong defensive intensity, especially Shane..."
"He has already scored 12 goals in this season's Champions League... It's a crazy era. A young player, in his debut Champions League season, has already equaled the old single-season scoring record..."
Conte kept shaking his head.
Shane Carter had scored his 12th Champions League goal of the season in this match.
Last season, Messi had scored 14 goals in a single Champions League campaign, breaking the previous record of 12 held by former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Who would have thought it?
Just one season after Messi broke the record,
another player had already matched the old mark.
The Italian reporters questioned Conte's tactical choices in the second half,
arguing that he had been too conservative.
Faced with the criticism,
Conte's expression darkened.
He did not continue answering.
He simply turned and left the scene.
The faces of the Italian reporters looked grim.
Serie A's UEFA coefficient was already close to being overtaken by France, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
Last season Serie A had only 2.5 Champions League spots, and because of Udinese's collapse, this season there were only two Italian teams in the competition.
And now both were being eliminated one after another.
If Juventus were knocked out as well,
next season Serie A would probably still only have 2.5 places...
On Simeone's side,
the press conference was much happier.
At the same time,
Barcelona had drawn 1-1 away to Málaga in the other match.
Whether Barça advanced or Málaga advanced,
La Liga had already secured at least one semifinalist.
And since Atlético had won 2-1 away,
it meant Atlético had a very strong chance of eliminating Juventus at home in the second leg.
The next day, in the second Champions League matchday,
Real Madrid would travel to Dortmund.
Dortmund were the Bundesliga champions, while Real Madrid were in the middle of internal conflict between Mourinho and the Spanish faction.
But in the eyes of the Spanish media,
Madrid were the kings of Europe.
How could little Dortmund possibly eliminate them?
If Madrid also advanced,
then this season,
La Liga would have three teams in the semifinals!
It would be a Champions League season belonging to Spanish football.
Naturally, the Spanish journalists were delighted and did not try to make things difficult for Simeone in interviews, so the post-match press conference was all smiles and good cheer.
"I'm happy for the boys. They were fantastic."
"12 goals in a single season? That's not the end for Shane. He'll keep scoring..."
"Of course, of course, he absolutely has a chance to break Messi's record. He's in the same class as Messi. And clearly, he's much more complete than Messi..."
Simeone did not hold back in praising Shane's performance.
He grinned widely, clearly very happy.
....
Shane Carter firmly occupied the Champions League scoring chart this season.
Messi had scored once in the first leg of the quarterfinals, bringing his total to 9 Champions League goals this season.
And Cristiano Ronaldo?
His Champions League form this season was clearly below last season's level.
He had not scored in the knockout stage yet, and his total stood at 7 goals.
Of course, Ronaldo's Champions League struggles this season were probably also affected by the unrest in Real Madrid's dressing room...
After the match, the media all rushed to report on it.
Matching Van Nistelrooy's record! Shane scores his 12th Champions League goal!
A Champions League rookie? Shane is having a mad season!
Can he keep scoring? In theory, Shane still has 4 Champions League matches left this season!
For a while,
the media were stunned by Shane's performance.
Meanwhile,
former stars and legends all started showing up to say something too.
Ronaldo: "Shane is unbelievable! I watch every single one of his matches!"
Zidane: "I can't imagine a midfielder who plays so deep scoring this many goals. He is the most prolific scoring midfielder in history. But aside from scoring, his other abilities are just as strong."
Maldini: "This is the most complete hexagonal warrior in history!"
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former record holder, also gave an interview.
"I've played against him. He really is an outstanding player..." the recently retired Van Nistelrooy said with clear amazement. "12 goals is only his starting point..."
...
While the media and legends were still marveling at Shane's Champions League performance,
Atlético Madrid had already returned from Turin to Madrid.
They were about to face a broadly defined "Madrid derby" at home—
hosting Getafe, another club from the Madrid region.
And in that match,
Getafe managed to hold Atlético Madrid to a 1-1 draw away from home.
The Champions League clearly had some effect on the team.
Everyone was a little off rhythm.
Shane tried very hard, but his teammates were not at their best, and he had no real solution.
After all, he couldn't explode every single match.
Following this game,
Barcelona caught up again.
After 30 league matches,
Atlético Madrid had 26 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss, giving them 81 points.
Barcelona, with the same win-draw-loss record, also had 81 points.
There were 8 matches left in the league.
In theory,
the two teams could still each collect 24 more points.
If they both won them all,
then they could finish the season with 105 points...
Of course, only one of them could actually reach 105, because the two teams still had one direct showdown left.
But looking at how insanely consistent they were,
the Spanish media were stunned.
"...This may be the most intense title race in history. At the rate Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are collecting points, at least one of them is absolutely going to break the 100-point mark!"
"...Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised if both teams ended up above 100 points!"
Just one season earlier,
Real Madrid had set a record by winning La Liga with 99 points.
And yet who could have imagined?
One season later,
both Barça and Atlético had a chance to break Madrid's record.
What was even more unexpected was this...
the defending champions Madrid, who had broken records the previous season,
had fallen off a cliff this year.
If they finished with 80 points, that would already count as a blessing.
Mourinho had already "exiled" Casillas.
His conflict with the Spanish faction was now completely out in the open.
The league title was hopeless.
And if they failed to reach and win the Champions League final,
Mourinho would absolutely not be sitting on Real Madrid's bench next season...
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