Montilivi rose to its feet to applaud Ounahi in the final stages of a match he almost single-handedly won. The Moroccan was key to Girona's important 3-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao, creating the play that led to Rincón's goal and scoring the second himself in the dying moments. Gazzaniga kept the scoreline in check with several impressive saves, and Echeverri sealed the win at the end. But the star of the show was the Moroccan, for whom a ticket is worth the price of admission, despite today's high prices.

The accounts before they are will play the derby at the MetropolitanIt wasn't that, no matter what happened, everything was going well for Barça. The theory was as follows:

No one dares to predict an expiration date for Míchel Sánchez. When his future is being considered, everyone treads cautiously. Logically, considering the respect and gratitude for the person who ensured Girona was no longer just another team. With him at the helm, the Girona team has made history. But football has no memory, and the Vallecas-born coach is experiencing his most critical moment in the dugout. He has overcome bad times before, but none were as serious as this one. Míchel needs to start adding points if he doesn't want to see his job truly in jeopardy.

When Diego Pablo Simeone, better known as the Cholo, landed on the Atlético de Madrid bench, Guardiola's Barça were the reigning Champions League champions, José Mourinho was managing Real Madrid, and Artur Mas was governing the Generalitat (Catalan government). On December 23rd, it will be fourteen years since an Argentine—an idol during his time as a footballer—with little coaching experience (he had only managed Argentine teams and a brief stint in Italy) arrived at the old Vicente Calderón. More than a decade later, he has managed to change the way Atlético fans think and establish a style of play that is now at the center of debate among fans. "El Cholo is no longer sacred to many fans. The public still cheers him, but he is no longer untouchable," Fran Guillén, who has called Atlético matches on DAZN, told ARA.

Hansi Flick's Barça are looking to conquer the world. They swept Real Madrid in the Super Cup final. They've dispatched Atlético de Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals. They're in first place in La Liga. In the Champions League, every team fears them. No opponent or coach can handle them, not even Cholo Simeone. A packed Estadio Metropolitano wasn't enough to defeat a Barça that shone during the first 45 minutes and suffered for the next 45. A first-half goal from Ferran Torres clinched the Blaugrana for the Copa del Rey final in Seville against Real Madrid.

Atlético de Madrid continues to hit a wall called Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti's team defeated Simeone's followers in a tie decided on penalties, after the home side's narrow victory. The penalty shootout was chaotic, as VAR ruled out a goal by Julián, who slipped and touched the ball twice. The action was far from clear. Many in the stadium didn't understand why the goal wasn't allowed, but Courtois had protested, and VAR ruled that there had been a double touch. However, no television image confirmed this 100%. Then Marcos Llorente also missed his penalty, allowing Rüdiger to put Real Madrid through to the quarterfinals, where they will face Arsenal. Atlético missed another opportunity to eliminate a Real Madrid side that continues to do its thing in the Champions League. They always end up winning, even if they don't play well.

Barça continues to lead the League despite the suspension of its Saturday's match against Osasuna. Atlético de Madrid have surprisingly lost at Getafe in a match they were winning 0-1 with 15 minutes remaining. The red card for Ángel Correa, who will not be able to play this coming weekend against Barça in La Liga, was the start of the collapse of the colchoneros, who have conceded two goals in five minutes, both from Mauro Arambarri (2-1).

Barça continues to lead the League despite the suspension of its Saturday's match against Osasuna. Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano means that both teams are now level on points, but Hansi Flick's men are ahead with a game in hand. Atlético de Madrid, who had the chance to go top on their own, lost in a shocking fashion at Getafe in a game they were winning 0-1 with 15 minutes to go. The red card for Ángel Correa, who will not be able to play this coming weekend against Barça in La Liga, was the start of the collapse of the Colchoneros, who have conceded two goals in five minutes, both from Mauro Arambarri (2-1).