After a four-game wait dating back almost a month, Atletico Madrid finally got back to winning ways in midweek and the dramatic nature of the penalty shootout win over Bayer Leverkusen could be the injection Los Rojiblancos needed as their season threatened to fizzle out.
It was not pretty and coach Diego Simeone might be counting the cost of qualification for the Champions League quarterfinals for some time after the news that Raul Garcia, Mario Mandzukic and Miguel Angel Moya all picked up injuries that could see them ruled out for a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
While Garcia has been in and out of the side this season and Mandzukic has been out of favour, Moya has been a consistent performer between the sticks. Injury to one player, however, means a chance for another.
While it is hard not to feel sorry for No.1 Moya -- who left the field against Leverkusen with an injured hamstring -- when one door closes, another opens and for Jan Oblak, opportunity knocks.
Bought for €16million summer, a fee that makes him the most expensive goalkeeper signed in the history of Spanish football, big things were expected of the 22-year-old Slovenian after his standout performances helped Benfica to the Europa League final.
With Thibaut Courtois' return to parent club Chelsea, Oblak seemed the perfect signing for Atletico. After all, they were replacing one of the most highly rated young goalkeepers in Europe with another.
A hip injury picked up on Atletico's tour of the USA meant that he had to do without a preseason, allowing Moya to stake his claim for a starting berth. It was an opportunity that the Balearic Islander might not have expected, but to his enormous credit grasped with both hands, putting in some outstanding displays. In addition to this, Oblak's injury worries would not go away, and the goalkeeper was nowhere to be seen in training.
Then came bizarre reports emanating from former club Benfica that Atletico had offered him back to the Portuguese champions in a swap deal involving Enzo Perez. The deal never came to fruition and Oblak took it all in his stride, patiently awaiting his chance to shine as Moya played as the No.1 in La Liga.
When the big day finally arrived, things could not have gone any worse as the side put in one of their worst showings of the season and succumbed 3-2 away to Olympiakos in the first Champions League group game.
Oblak did not cover himself in glory for a couple of the goals, either. Knowing another slip-up was out of the question, Simeone restored Moya to the side for European games, meaning Oblak was relegated to Copa del Rey goalkeeper for the team he was supposed to have signed for as the first choice.
A couple of impressive showings against Barcelona in the cup ensued and word from within the club that players and coaching staff were positive about the Slovenia international, especially with the way which he had picked up the Spanish language in only six months with the club, started to surface.
Then came Tuesday night, and as Moya signalled to the bench his night was over, an air of apprehension encompassed the otherwise vibrant Calderon. They were not used to seeing Oblak between the sticks and did not do anything to help the youngster by taking a deep draw of breath every time a high ball went into the area but to his credit he looked nonplussed as he dealt with everything Leverkusen could throw at him.
After seeing his side's first penalty kick skied in the shootout Oblak stood tall, psyching out Hakan Calhanoglu to keep the score level. It was a huge moment in the Oblak's Atleti career so far. For the first time the crowd sung his name in unison, the players embraced him as Stefan Kiessling's shot flew over, and he was fully accepted by the Calderon faithful as one of their own. "The most unexpected of heroes," read one newspaper headline the next day, and they were right.
For Oblak, the time has come to show he is the goalkeeper that Atletico Madrid thought they were buying and demonstrate he is capable of playing at the top level in Europe. He needs to seize the opportunity presented to him with both hands and if he does, he will be No.1 at the club for a long time to come. For Moya, it is unfortunate and undeserved, but these things happen in football.
A win at home to Getafe is compulsory if Atleti harbour any ambitions of finishing third ahead of Valencia. A win with a clean sheet would do the Slovenian and his teammates in the backline the world of good. Over to you, Jan.