That fateful relegation: 25 years later
25 years ago, Atlético de Madrid experienced one of the most painful episodes in its history: relegation to the Second Division. May 7, 2000, was burned into the memory of the Rojiblancos fans after the 2-2 draw against Oviedo.
A match that was expected to be complicated and ended up certifying what had been suspected for weeks. The sepulchral silence in the Carlos Tartiere at the end of the match reflected the magnitude of the tragedy. The tears of the fans are now part of the club’s history.
That Atlético, with players of the stature of Molina, Kiko, Hasselbaink, Gamarra and Solari, was designed to fight for higher goals. However, a series of off-the-field problems affected the team’s performance.
In the decisive match, Oviedo took a 2-0 lead, but Capdevila and Hasselbaink managed to equalize. The striker had a penalty in the 84th minute to give Atlético the victory, but goalkeeper Esteban guessed his shot.
The team led by Antic, with Molina; Gaspar, Ayala, Gamarra, Capdevila; Aguilera, Bejbl, Hugo Leal, Solari; Kiko and Hasselbaink on the pitch, could not avoid the disaster. A very hard blow for all members of the squad. It took Atlético a while to recover from that blow, but they demonstrated their greatness by returning to the elite. Because the greats always come back.
