Champions League: Atletico beats Chelsea to set up Madrid derby final

In London, all the talk was about the "Special One". Tonight, after a performance which helped to write another chapter in one of the season's most romantic fairy tales, Atletico Madrid allowed itself to dream of its own special one -- La Primera -- the first. Atletico, for so long a club living in the shadow of city rival Real, has the opportunity to make history not just at home but also on the European stage, CNN reports.

A convincing 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge secured a place in the Champions League final and allowed the dream of a league and European double to prosper. This Atletico team has guts, resilience and an indefatigable spirit -- but what it also has, in abundance, is quality. Trailing to Fernando Torres' strike, Atletico offered a brutal riposte with Adrian Lopez leveling before Diego Costa and Arda Turan applied the finishing touches. Four points clear at the top of La Liga with three games remaining and a clash with Real to decide the destiny of the Champions League trophy to come in Lisbon on May 24, this is turning out to be some season for Atletico. "It's a dream," Atletico midfielder Tiago told Sky Sports. "We have a great spirit, we are a great team, we all work together, now we are in the final in Lisbon, the dreams can be true. "It is not easy to play here, we know that. But we knew Chelsea had to play more. "We know we are very good away from home. After our goal Chelsea went down a bit, but we were confident and now we are there. "We know Real Madrid is a fantastic team with great players. They can win the game in any action but we are there. Last year we won the Cup in their stadium so we are confident." Not since 1996 has Los Rojiblancos won the domestic title but managed by Diego Simeone, who was part of that team 18 years ago, it now stands on the brink of history. Simeone, who presides over a budget nearly five times smaller than Real, has worked wonders but perhaps even would not have expected his players to record such an impressive victory. To score three goals away from home in European competition is a marked achievement, but to do so against Chelsea, a team whose defense has been so miserly in the competition, is staggering. Chelsea, derided for its defensive tactics and considered an "enemy of football" by some because of its negative approach, has already answered its critics on numerous occasions this season. A fine victory at Liverpool on Sunday proved once again that Mourinho's tactics, however unpalatable, gain results. But on this occasion, the solidity and cohesion which had caused such frustration in Madrid last week, was missing.

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