At his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash at the BayArena,Roger Schmidt made the remark that countless managers around both Spain and Europe would likely nod their heads to and agree with."Nobody likes playing against Atletico," the Bayer Leverkusen manager told reporters, speaking of his club's round-of-16 opponents, Atletico Madrid.Naturally, it wasn't just a statement pointing purely at the quality of Los Colchoneros; it was also one alluding to Atleti's other qualities, their modus operandiphysicality, aggression, durability, systematic excellence.Schmidt wasn't just referring to the task; he was also acknowledging the battle. The arm wrestle with Atletico. The difficulty in matchingand then surpassingDiego Simeone's men for tenacity, intensity.Since Simeone's arrival in the Spanish capital, few sides have managed to do so.But after Wednesday's encounter at the BayArena, Schmidt's Bayer Leverkusen can be added to the very short list of those who have. In the first leg of their last-16 tie, the home side basically out-Atletico-ed Atletico. Out-Simeone-ed Simeone.Utilising their high-tempo, pressing approach that's been evident all season under their new manager, the hosts harassed their visitors. They got in their faces. Went, figuratively, punch for punch.And won.Essentially, Simeone's men were beaten at their own game. And two brief moments encapsulated the entire evening.In the opening period, as a besieged Atleti attempted to get out of their own half down the left flank, Antoine Griezmann played a ball down the line to Mario Mandzukic. The Croatian, of course, isn't the most fleet-footed striker, but his interplay with his forward partner has been outstanding since the turn of the year.But the instant he lifted his head, still behind the half-way line, he was swarmed upon. Within seconds, Mandzukic was fighting three players: forwardKarim Bellarabi, midfielderGonzalo Castro and defenderKyriakos Papadopoulosa Leverkusen player from each line, all three hunting down a ball in the opposition half. And each doing so with ferocity.The same theme was evident again after the interval.Looking to break into the box from near the right corner flag,Hakan Calhanoglu went to the ground appealing for a foul. A call from refereePavel Kralovec wasn't forthcoming, leaving Raul Garcia positioned to make a comfortable clearance.But that wasn't the story of the night for Atletico; nothing was comfortable for them in North Rhine-Westphalia.Before Garcia had even looked up, Lars Bender, likeBellarabi,Castro andPapadopoulos had before him, stormed from his position to block the Spaniard's clearance.Pressure maintained, the message from the Leverkusen midfielder was clear: If you want to escape, even briefly, you're going to have to fight first.Typically, that is the treatment Atletico dish out, not the sort they receive.And yet, the significance of those occurrences went beyond just the acts themselves. For it wasn't as though Simeone and Atletico hadn't seen it comingthey had. They just couldn't do anything about it."They [Leverkusen] have a lot of quality and pressure really well when they lose the ball," Simeone had told a news conference in the buildup to Wednesday's clash. "They are quick and close in quickly after losing the ball."If that wasn't enough, Bayer'sTin Jedvaj had expressed his team's mentality in an interview with Goal'sAndrija Vukovic as Wednesday's first leg approached."Who do we fear most [from Atletico]' No one!"Jedvaj said, before adding:"They play similarly to us: running a lot, aggressive play."Forget everything else, that's what was notable about the meeting at the BayArena: Atletico knew what was coming but couldn't stop it."I'll leave satisfied, having had to make two changes in the first half, having a goal ruled out, and only losing 1-0," Simeone said in the game's aftermath, per Jamie Kemp of Inside Spanish Football. "It could have been worse but it wasn't."Indeed, it was far from a disaster for the Spanish outfit; Simeone has a right to retain confidence. At the Vicente Calderon, a one-goal deficit can certainly be overturned.But that doesn't mean Wednesday evening, in isolation, wasn't significant. It most definitely was."They have a very similar style to us, in terms of pressing to win back the ball after they have lost it," the Atleti manager added after the loss, again remarking on Leverkusen's stylea style that uncharacteristically overwhelmedLos Colchoneros.It meant that Schmidt, who came into the clash remarking that "nobody likes playing against Atletico," had orchestrated a victory for his side by beating Atletico at their own game.Follow @TimDCollinsRead more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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