Absorbing Atletico action relegates political strife

MADRID - Players and coaches of both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona hailed the atmosphere at Atletico's new Wanda Metropolitano home on Saturday after the thrills of a compelling 1-1 draw drowned out the political tension that had been hyped as the match's major sub-plot.

Barca's previous game was played behind closed doors at Camp Nou in protest at a heavy-handed police crackdown on an independence referendum in Catalonia, deemed illegal by the Spanish government, on October 1.

The Catalan giant's visit to the Spanish capital was marked by a wash of Spanish flags and chants of "Viva Espana" (long live Spain), but fans at the 68,000-capacity arena were more enthralled by the action on the field.