On Friday, Miguel Ángel Gil showed up at Cerro del Espino to let Simeone and his players know what a firecracker like him. Beyond having the Cup final within reach or trying to make a splash in Europe, Atlético needs to finish in the top four to secure the Champions League and avoid breaking the bank. Atlético needed to win and, from less to more, they had to overcome an early goal from Jofre to finally beat Espanyol. To Simeone’s team to vindicate themselves, author of two of the four goals, and the quality of Baena and Griezmann. Enough to break an Espanyol that had more goals, two, than a game.
4
Jan Oblak, Dávid Hancko, Marcos Llorente (Nahuel Molina, min. 73), Marc Pubill, Matteo Ruggeri, Giuliano Simeone (Robin Le Normand, min. 83), Johnny Cardoso, Álex Baena (Koke, min. 60), Ademola Lookman (Julián Alvarez, min. 60), Antoine Griezmann (Thiago Almada, min. 73) and Alexander Sørloth
2
Marko Dmitrovic, Omar El Hilali, Carlos Romero, Clemens Riedel (Ramon Terrats, min. 56), Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Jofre Carreras (Pere Milla, min. 76), Pol Lozano (Edu Expósito, min. 69), Tyrhys Dolan (Cyril Ngonge, min. 69), Urko González de Zárate and Kike García (Roberto Fernández, min. 69)
Goals
0-1 min. 5: Jofre . 1-1 min. 20: Sorloth. 2-1 min. 48: Julian. 3-1 min. 57: Lookman. 4-1 min. 71: Sorloth. 4-2 min. 79: Edu Exhibition
Referee Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz
yellow cards
Cyril Ngonge (82 min.)
Simeone’s eleven was less reduced than Butarque’s. He pulled his starting defense, brought together Baena and Cardoso in the axis, Griezmann on the inside and Sorloth and Lookman up front. Koke and Julián Alvarez remained on the bench ahead of the game against Bruges. From the first play it was clear that Manolo González’s Espanyol would try to make Atlético difficult with a five-man defense and compressing the lines to stifle the red-and-white interior game. The proposal bogged down Simeone’s footballers, vague from the beginning, and because Cardoso did not appear to organize. Griezmann realized that his team was doomed to get bogged down. So the Frenchman went to Hancko to steal the direction of the play and the result was a loss that triggered Dolan. The Englishman’s center was caught by Jofre to score.
For Atlético, the game was for those who wanted to play it with their legs and head at full capacity. And the first one who surprised by launching pressure on his own. The Norwegian is becoming less and less cold, who also fell to the wings to hold the ball and distribute it. Griezmann, faced with Cardoso’s empanada, who neither imposed himself nor offered himself, began to do what his teammate did not dare to do. That is, to take risks with a dribble in the middle or sharpen a touch that would speed up the game. The next to join the surge was Llorente, given that Giuliano was more concerned that Carlos Romero did not show that he is being one of the best left-handed backs in the League. Llorente put a poisoned curve to the far post. Sorloth appeared there to, with the interior, cross the shot and tie. Espanyol barely left their field, except for some isolated maneuvers by Kike García and some runs by Dolan and Jofre. Baena also combusted, although his teammates still have a hard time detecting those moments to look for him and understand that he should have a greater weight in the game. Griezmann was able to make it two to one after a high-school control and hit a shot that narrowly missed.
The game went into half-time in a draw. A much improved Atlético came out, including Cardoso. But it was Baena who turned on the light with a one-touch pass that was a gift for Giuliano to score. A boost of morale for the boy, who in Bruges was not fine and lazy in the goal of the Belgians’ 3-3 tie. Already launched, Ruggeri combed a corner kick at the near post and Lookmann snatched it at the second with a diving header. With Espanyol surrendered and bent, Sorloth hit the base of the post with a left foot shot. Then he signed a high-quality header to the center of Ruggeri, whose redemption involves, at least, putting in more balls like that per game. Edu Expósito narrowed the score that Almada failed to widen before.
