Atletico Madrid 1 Barcelona 0
Atletico Madrid Koke 5'
Man of the match Gabi (Atletico Madrid)
For Atletico Madrid, their dream season sustains. The capital club, so long dwarfed by neighbours Real Madrid, have mixed domestic durability with a continental conviction and, at present, stand as Spain’s most dominant side.
Leading the Primera Liga as the campaign nears its conclusion, Atletico are now Uefa Champions League semi-finalistst to boot, after deservedly dispatching Barcelona at a raucous Vicente Calderon.
Diego Simeone’s squad, much like their manager, are built on commitment to the cause and they continue to dispel the doubts, to silence the dissenting voices. This was their fifth meeting of the season with Barcelona, yet Lionel Messi and company have yet to get the better of them.
Four draws had preceded the second leg in central Spain, with last week’s clash at the Nou Camp suggesting Atletico would not be bowed.
A 1-1 draw appeared a dangerous score to bring back home, although those concerns were quickly eradicated when Koke grabbed what would be the tie’s decisive strike.
Without Gerard Pique and Victor Valdes to help keep out the hosts, Barcelona emerged brittle in defence and surprisingly ponderous in attack. Within five minutes they were exposed, Adrian crashing a drive off the upright before David Villa collected to cross to Raul Garcia.
The midfielder’s knock-down was perfect, leaving Koke the simplest task of placing the ball past Jose Manuel Pinto. In a frantic period that ensured, Atletico twice shook the woodwork, both through Villa.
The former Barcelona man enjoyed some sumptuous times with the Catalan club, but the victory here, which secured a 2-1 aggregate triumph, will surely rank among his finest.
He was unfortunate, too, not to be awarded a penalty deep into the second half, when Javier Mascherano bundled him over in the area.
Barcelona would have opportunities of their own, chiefly through Messi, Xavi and Neymar. The trio were each well-placed to spark the visitors back to life, but not one could direct their header on target.
As it transpired, Barcelona depart the tournament before the last-four stage for the first time in seven seasons, and the post-mortem will last long through the coming days and weeks.
Placed second in the domestic league, and with the Copa del Rey final to come, much can still be salvaged from 2013/14, although there is a growing sense this previously unstoppable stable is ending its trophy-laden run. Gerardo Martino, the manager, may not endure past the summer months.
Although Barcelona’s gradual demise demands attention, for the moment, allow Atletico to bask in a glory all of their own making.
To call Simeone’s side spirited and gutsy tells only half the story, as they have the requisite talent to back up their tenacity.
Rightfully in tomorrow’s semi-final draw, their dream season has a few more tales to spin yet.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Griselda
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