After wasting 0-2 and 2-3, they will have advantages that they achieved with very little play. Bruges never gave up, which was better for football and proposal. At times he even shook the red and white team, saved by Oblak on several occasions. The three-way tie could lead to a two-way game, but that was not the case. The clash was almost always tilted towards Atlético’s field.
3
Simon Mignolet, Kyriani Sabbe (Hugo Siquet, min. 80), Joel Ordóñez, Joaquin Seys (Bjorn Meijer, min. 85), Brandon Mechele, Raphael Onyedika, Hans Vanaken, Aleksandar Stankovic (Félix Lemaréchal, min. 85), Christos Tzoulis, Mama Diakhon (Shandre Campbell, min. 81) and Nicolò Tresoldi (Romeo Vermant, min. 75)
3
Jan Oblak, Nahuel Molina (Robin Le Normand, min. 89), Marc Pubill, Matteo Ruggeri, Dávid Hancko, Koke (Johnny Cardoso, min. 90), Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann (Alexander Sørloth, min. 65), Giuliano Simeone, Ademola Lookman (Álex Baena, min. 61) and Julián Alvarez
Goals
0-1 min. 7: Julian Alvarez. 0-2 min. 48: Lookman. 1-2 min. 50: Written by Raphael Onyedika. 2-2 min. 59: Nicholas Tresoldy. 2-3 mins. 78: Joel Ordonez. 3-3 min. 88: Christos Tzolis
Referee Glenn Nyberg
yellow cards
Leko (21 minutes), Pubill (47 minutes), Raphael Onyedika Nwadike (75 minutes), Álex Baena (94 minutes)
Simeone pulled the , except for the presence of Oblak for Musso. Given the irregularity that has caused him to lose the League between January and February, he opted for what he considers his most reliable team. Without Barrios, injured, Llorente has imposed himself as Koke’s and Griezmann’s squire over Baena, who once again saw another big starting date on the bench.
Atlético’s staging was not bad, with the sleet getting worse and the warm Bruges fans warming up the atmosphere and their players. Griezmann and Julián Alvarez were playmakers and the ball seemed to flow to Atlético. The glare of the stalls was silenced in a combination that left Griezmann in front of Mignolet the first time Simeone’s men stepped into the area. Ordóñez’s cross prevented the Frenchman from being able to execute the Belgian goalkeeper. The penalty came from the corner kick. Griezmann had extended the ball to the near post and the rebound caused the ball to fall like a raindrop from the sky and hit Seys’ virulé on the arm, which prevented Hancko from heading it. The referee was called by the VAR to review the play. Julián Alvarez was forceful. A mid-height and tight shot. Mignolet didn’t even have time to blink.
Far from appeasing Bruges and the stands, Ivan Leko’s team became emboldened. He boxed Atlético for more than twenty minutes. Onyedika limited himself to finishing centered from the edge of the area with no one to cough at him after Diakhon gave Molina the first break. Inaccuracy took over Atlético. A bad transfer by Giuliano was taken advantage of by Tresoldi to draw a curved ball that went a couple of inches wide. The Argentine made some class maneuvers, but Vanaken’s class was an open book. At his side, the criteria of Stankovic, son of Dejan, the Serbian who triumphed in Italian football. The boy has good manners and knew how to look for Koke’s back to mix with Tresoldi. He hit a good volley on the turn that forced Oblak to his first saving flight. The Jan Breydel roared and became enthusiastic every time the small and skilled Diakhon played it. In the historical identity of Bruges is the lineage of wingers and the Frenchman defended it. Leko was missing its best winger, the Portuguese Carlos Forbs. Given what Tzolis also made Ruggeri suffer, it could have been a mess with the Portuguese. In the Italian’s defense it must be said that Lookman did not help him and Llorente no longer knew what to cover up.
They were twenty minutes that seemed like an eternity for Atlético. The best thing for the rojiblancos in that stretch was a hat from Griezmann in his own area like Luiz Pereira. Until Giuliano appeared at the edge of the area to parry a high shot, Simeone’s team did not leave their field. Onyedika responded with a shot from the crescent so that Oblak could once again capture a stretch that was as aesthetic as it was effective.
Bruges lost a bit of steam, worn out from so much pressure and from cornering Atlético in their field. He began to have inaccuracies and one of them put Giuliano in front of a counterattack with clear superiority. The Argentine winger crashed into excessive driving when the opportunity called for giving it the first time. It is better for Giuliano to touch and run to break into space than to drive so much.
Atlético grew in the last minutes of the first act. He achieved several long circulations that further appeased Bruges and in the last play and forced a corner kick. Julián Alvarez gloved it, Griezmann extended it and Lookman put it in at the far post. Too much reward for Simeone’s footballers. From two corner kicks they got a potosí that seemed to seal the tie. Atlético had not needed to play football, although they did need to entrust themselves to Oblak, to the sobriety of Pubill and Hancko and the lungs of Llorente.
But Bruges found the goal after the restart. Onyedika finished off a rebound from Oblak, who had saved a point-blank header from Tresoldi. The goal made the game ugly for the red and whites. The crowds became inflamed again with each of Diakhon’s dribbles. In one of them he won the baseline again and his cross was pushed back by Tresoldi.
With Bruges burned and deviled, Simeone had to operate and Sorloth for Griezmam and Lookman. The Norwegian hit the crossbar with a header before Ordóñez beat Mignolet while trying to cut out a poisoned pass from Llorente. Leko’s team did not lose faith, achieving a well-deserved draw with Tzolis’ goal.
