Three finals, three defeats
Atletico Madrid's Three Champions League Finals: 1974, 2014 and 2016
Atletico Madrid have reached the final of Europe’s principal club competition three times and lost all three. Two went to extra time, one went to penalties, and one required a replay. No club has come closer, more often, without winning it.
1974: Bayern Munich, and the Last Minute
The first final was played in Brussels against Bayern Munich, and Atletico were a minute from winning it.
Luis Aragonés, a player then and the club’s manager shortly afterwards, put them ahead with a curling free-kick in extra time. In the final minute Georg Schwarzenbeck equalised from twenty-five yards. The match finished 1–1, and under the rules of the day it went to a replay two days later, which Bayern won 4–0.
The Schwarzenbeck goal is the single most-cited moment in the club’s history, and the reason a particular vocabulary of near-misses attached itself to Atletico long before 2014.
There was a consolation that turned into a trophy. Bayern declined to play the Intercontinental Cup because of fixture congestion, so Atletico took the place of European champions instead. They lost the away leg 1–0 to Independiente in Buenos Aires and won the return 2–0 in Madrid, taking the trophy, the club’s only intercontinental honour, won by the team that had lost the European Cup final.
Two European competitions, one club
The same club, the same era, opposite conversion rates. In Europe's second competition Atletico have won every final they reached; in the first they have won none.
2014: Real Madrid in Lisbon
Forty years later, and eight days after sealing the league title at the Camp Nou, Atletico faced Real Madrid in Lisbon.
Diego Godín gave them a first-half lead. Real equalised, the match went to extra time, and it finished 4–1. A first European Cup, a Double of league and Champions League, and a win over Real Madrid in a European final were all lost in the same evening.
The derby page covers what two Champions League finals against the same neighbour did to the fixture.
Every final, and the night one was won: select a year
Bayern Munich, a minute from the trophy
Luis Aragonés put Atletico ahead with a curling free-kick in extra time. Georg Schwarzenbeck equalised from twenty-five yards in the final minute. Under the rules of the day the 1–1 draw went to a replay two days later, which Bayern won 4–0. It is the most-cited moment in the club's history.
- 1–1first match
- 4–0replay, lost
Intercontinental Cup, by default
Bayern declined the Intercontinental Cup because of fixture congestion, so Atletico took the place of European champions. They lost 1–0 away to Independiente in Buenos Aires and won the return 2–0 in Madrid for the club's only intercontinental honour, won by the team that lost the European Cup final.
- 2–0home leg won
- 1intercontinental title
Real Madrid, ahead and then extra time
Eight days after sealing the league title at the Camp Nou, Atletico led through Diego Godín in the first half. Real Madrid equalised, the match went to extra time and finished 4–1. A first European Cup, a Double, and a European final won against the neighbours were all lost in one evening.
- 4–1a.e.t., lost
- 8days after the title
Real Madrid again, settled on penalties
The same two clubs met in the final again two seasons later. The match finished 1–1 and Real Madrid won the shoot-out. Two finals against the same opponent inside three seasons, both lost.
- 1–1after extra time
- 2finals v Real Madrid
The European final that was won
Not a Champions League final, but the reason the 2018 UEFA Super Cup is spoken about at a volume the competition does not usually command: a 4–2 win over Real Madrid after extra time, two years after Milan.
- 4–2a.e.t., won
2016: Real Madrid Again, in Milan
Two seasons later the same two clubs met in the final again, in Milan. The match finished 1–1 and Real Madrid won the penalty shoot-out.
Two finals against the same opponent inside three seasons, both lost, is a specific kind of misfortune, and it is the reason the 2018 UEFA Super Cup, a 4–2 extra-time win over Real Madrid in Tallinn, is spoken about at a volume the competition does not usually command. The Europa League page covers that night.
The three finals in detail: sort any column
| Season | Venue | Opponent | Score | Decided by | Season | Venue | Opponent | Score | Decided by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Brussels | Bayern Munich | 1–1, replay lost 4–0 | A replay | |||||
| 2013–14 | Lisbon | Real Madrid | Lost 4–1 | Extra time | |||||
| 2015–16 | Milan | Real Madrid | 1–1 | Penalties |
The Pattern
Three finals, and in every one the club was level or ahead at some point in the deciding phase: 1–1 with a minute left in 1974, ahead through Godín in 2014, level at 90 minutes in 2016.
That is the record, and it explains the club’s own self-description better than the trophy count does. El pupas, the hard-luck club, is not a term supporters were given. It is one they chose, and 1974 is where it starts.
Set against a Europa League record of three wins from three finals, the contrast is sharp: in Europe’s second competition the club converts everything, and in the first it has converted nothing. The full honours list shows both.
Have Atletico Madrid ever won the Champions League?
No. They have reached the final three times, in 1973–74, 2013–14 and 2015–16, and lost all three.
What happened in the 1974 European Cup final?
Atletico drew 1–1 with Bayern Munich in Brussels. Luis Aragonés scored a curling free-kick in extra time; Georg Schwarzenbeck equalised from twenty-five yards in the final minute. Bayern won the replay 4–0.
How did Atletico win the Intercontinental Cup if they lost the European Cup final?
Bayern Munich declined to play the 1974 Intercontinental Cup because of fixture congestion, so Atletico took their place. They lost 1–0 away to Independiente and won the return 2–0 in Madrid.
Who beat Atletico in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals?
Real Madrid both times. In Lisbon in 2014 Atletico led through Diego Godín before losing 4–1 after extra time; in Milan in 2016 the match finished 1–1 and Real won on penalties.
Why are Atletico called el pupas?
It translates roughly as the hard-luck club, and supporters apply it to themselves. The 1974 final, where an equaliser arrived in the last minute of extra time and the replay was lost 4–0, is where the term takes hold.
Three finals