And then this place exploded. The clock showed 89.30 when Kieran Trippier’s corner bent into the area and Héctor Herrera, a late substitute making his debut in the competition, leapt to head the ball into the net. It was loud enough already, but somehow the sound here reached another level, ears ringing, hearts racing. From 2-0 down, Atlético Madrid had come back to draw 2-2 with Juventus, Diego Simeone screaming down on the touchline, supporters shouting all around him.

It had been quite a way to start the European season – and yet it was then almost taken from them, too, when Cristiano Ronaldo flashed a shot just wide deep into injury time, provoking a collective coronary. In the end, though, he didn’t score. Juan Cuadrado, Blaise Matuidi, Stefan Savic and Herrera did. Hardly the most likely men, but fitting somehow. This was a night of unexpected starring roles, when, 110 days later, the Champions League returned to the Metropolitano.

Only one player remained from the night Liverpool won the European Cup here and Trippier must have enjoyed this rather more. Not just because of his decisive part in the dramatic equaliser, but the game itself. Sure, he had Cristiano Ronaldo in front of him, but... well, but that wasn’t entirely true: most of the time he had Cristiano Ronaldo behind him. For all the clichés about Atlético, Trippier’s duties at his new club are far from solely defensive. Diego Simeone’s full-backs are pushed very high and very wide, sought out early and often.

Within five minutes, there had been four crosses already – two from Trippier, two from Renan Lodi on the other side – and that pattern continued. While Lodi ran at Juventus, Trippier tended to sneak in behind Alex Sandro, the pair becoming the focus of the opening 45 minutes as Atlético took the game to Juventus. And yet the game didn’t really take off until the second half and the one genuine save of the first 45 came from Wojciech Szczesny, when João Félix started a superb run 20 yards inside his own half. At one point he had five opponents around him but he progressed into the area, working just enough space to shoot with his toe. The former Arsenal keeper was down sharply to his left.

The first goal came two minutes into the second half. Trippier slotted into Costa but he lost out and there, from just outside his own area, Leonardo Bonucci bent a long pass up the left with the outside of his boot. Gonzalo Higuaín was racing away. Ronaldo was running to join him. And Cuadrado was heading up the right. As Atlético’s players dashed back, Higuaín played it behind them to the Colombian, who struck a superb shot, bending into the top corner past the striped shirts.

Danilo wasted the chance to make it two, his shot harmless when a pass to Ronaldo might have been deadly and Atlético’s next move should have been. It seemed they had paid for it too, but this was just the beginning. A wonderful exchange between Koke, Saúl Ñíguez and Tripper worked the game’s clearest opportunity for José Giménez, via five, sharp first-time passes, but the shot from close range flew over. Soon, Cuadrado and Ronaldo sent Sandro away at the other way and his cross was perfect, an invitation that Matuidi accepted, heading past Jan Oblak.

That hurt but hope returned fast, Savic heading in from Koke’s free kick and Giménez’s knock back to set up the final, frantic 20 minutes. Higuaín got away: his shot was saved by Oblak; Matuidi’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Trippier. Vitolo forced Szczesny to push over. Atlético appealed for a penalty when the ball hit Bonucci’s arm in the six-yard box, but all the referee gave was a yellow card to Costa. Time was slipping away, into the 90th now, but there were two more chances yet. Herrera scored his, Ronaldo didn’t, and the Metropolitano roared.