The two Madrid rivals may not have troubled the scoreboard in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, but there was plenty of action in a thrilling encounter at the Vincente Calderon.
An all action first-half saw Real go close on a number of occasions, but their best efforts were matched by a flawless performance from Jan Oblak in the Atletico goal.
The home side came back into the game in the second half, but both sides drew a blank leaving it all to play for at the Bernabeu next Wednesday.
But just what did we learn from an entertaining first leg in Spain?
Gallery: The best pics from the Vincente Calderon
#BenchBale?
Ahead of kick-off, one Madrid 'fan' attempted to get the hashtag #BenchBale trending.And it didn't take long to get the visiting fans grumbling again, when he was put through on goal but failed to beat Atleti keeper Jan Oblak in a one-on-one.
He again stung the Oblak's palms a few minutes later, but failed to make any real impression on the game as it went on, despite all the good work going on behind him by the likes of Luca Modric and Toni Kroos.
That said, neither did Ronaldo. But one would imagine that the #BenchRonaldo hashtag won't be trending anytime soon.
Three-sy does it
The Madrid trio of Toni Kroos, Luca Modric and James Rodriguez simply ran the first half, taking the plaudits away from the usual headline grabbing suspects further foward.Real were winning the midfield battle with ease, and it was largely down to this trio.
Unfazed by the boisterous home crowd, the Real midfield kept their heads, combining composure with intelligent, purposeful passing.
The only thing that they were unable to do was to find Ronaldo in front of goal, as the Portuguese would surely not have been as wasteful as Bale and Benzema.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno
Jan's the man
After seeing Thibaut Courtois develop into one of the world's finest goalkeepers during his extended loan at Atletico, there was a void to be filled between the sticks this season, but judging by the performance of Jan Oblak, Simeone need not worry.
The 22-year-old Slovenian was called upon early and often during a frantic first half, with his first call of duty coming when he got the better of Bale in a one-on-one in the third minute.
GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images
Roy Hodgson may want to make a note of this performance - England's next match is a European Championship qualifier against Slovenia in June and judging by what we saw tonight, Oblak will soon take over his national team's number 1 shirt.
6-No keeper have made more saves than Oblak, only in the first half vs Real Madrid, in a UCL games this century. Wall pic.twitter.com/mysViSD4mt
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 14, 2015
Living in fear
Remember the storm that erupted when Gareth Bale had the gall NOT to pass to Ronaldo in front of goal earlier this year?Karim Benzima obviously does. The Frenchman, who seems to score in every single of real Champions League games, twice passed up golden opportunities to shoot in front of goal, instead passing to his Portuguese team-mate.
The first came just before half-tie, when Bezema had space, time and plenty to aim at when the ball fell to his left foot, but instead misplaced a pass into a busy penalty area and Ronaldo was unable to pick up the ball. After 70 minutes he did it again - forsaking a straight-forward chance and preferring to pass to his tightly-marked team-mate, who was unable to fashion a shot.
Just who is to blame? Ronaldo's all conquering ego? The perma-outraged Real support? Or an under-confident Benzema? Either way, it likely cost the visitors at least one goal tonight.
Sergio Perez/Reuters
Fast start
When these two sides met in the Copa Del Rey earlier this season, Atletico won the first leg 2-0 at home, then drew 2-2 at the Bernabeu.The visitors no doubt had this in mind when they came out of the blocks at a hundred miles-an-hour, looking to take the wind out of their opponents - and the deafening home crowd.
While Real had vice-like grip on the midfield, the hosts had Miranda and (especially) Diego Godin digging in like Geoffrey Boycott in his pomp at the back to frustrate Carlo Ancelotti.
Given the way the match panned out, it's now advantage Atletico, who have the chance to find an own goal at the Bernabeu next Wenesday.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno
Coraje y corazon
Or, if you need to brush up on your Castilian, 'courage and heart'.That's what the banners said ahead of kick-off and it's a fitting description for a team that has been sculpted in the image of their manager. The Vincente Calderon has got to be up there in Europe's most intimidating venues when the 50,000-strong crowd are in this kind of mood.
Juan Medina/REUTERS
This Atletico sides displays all the qualities that City have been missing since Christmas - determined, industrial and will to run through the proverbial brick wall for their manager.
The best move that the Atleti board have made this season was to have sealed a new five-year deal with the Argentine back in March
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