Five-star Atleti expose Frankfurt’s defensive fragility | OneFootball

Both teams came off emphatic wins before their return to the Champions League action. Dino Toppmöller’s side scored half a dozen before the 50th-minute mark away at Bundesliga basement club Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Atleti scored five in the Madrid derby for the first time since 1950.

Leverkusen conceded inside the first ten minutes against Galatasaray, and they were a goal behind in this one after only four minutes. With his suspended father watching from the tribune, Giuliano Simeone beat Nathaniel Brown with ease to set up Giacomo Raspadori’s first goal in red and white colors.

Once again, Frankfurt responded well to an early deficit as Farès Chaïbi won a corner-kick for his effort right away. However, conceding the early goal left them vulnerable at the back, with Simeone involved in two more promising chances for the hosts before the 10th minute.

In the next five minutes, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez were presented with clear-cut chances, but they couldn’t put the finishing touch beyond Champions League debutant Kauã Santos.

Considering Atleti’s complete dominance in the first twenty minutes, Frankfurt could have easily been in the territory Gladbach endured on Sunday. However, the hosts fluffed their lines multiple times with the goal at their mercy.

That was until Robin Le Normand popped up with his second goal in as many games. The center-back nutmegged Burkardt with his close-range finish after Griezmann’s flick was deflected by both Kauã Santos and Nnamdi Collins.

The two strikers combined for Atleti’s third in the final minute of the first-half. Grizi reached the 200-goal mark with a simple finish as Alvarez turned provider after scoring five goals in his last two matches.

While they had no answers for Atleti’s buildup play, Harry Kane and Bayern continued their free-scoring start of the season in Cyprus. The Rekordmeister are Frankfurt’s next opponent in this week’s Topspiel. However, Toppmöller decided to start the second-half with the same eleven players.

The visitors enjoyed their best spell in the first 10 minutes after the restart. Can Uzun nearly scored for the seventh game in a row when his attempt from the outside of the box narrowly missed the target.

Burkardt did score for the fourth game running, however. The new signing capitalized on Ansgar Knauff’s brilliant flick as his deflected strike beat Jan Oblak. All of a sudden, it’s the reverse of the weekend’s game for Frankfurt with their solid second-half performance.

Right after the goal, Toppmöller made three changes at once. However, Atleti regained control soon after, and they scored once again after coming very close to doing so a couple of times. Griezmann denied a second goal by a VAR check before Frankfurt’s Brazilian goalkeeper made a great save from Simeone.

Giuliano Simeone did beat Kauã Santos from the resulting corner-kick by the influential Alvarez. As a result, Frankfurt conceded four goals for the third time in a row. But that’s not the end of Frankfurt’s misery. World Cup winners Alvarez and Griezmann were once again involved in the move that ended with a penalty-kick for a handball by substitute Aurele Amenda.

The Argentinian added a goal on top of his two assists with a cheeky panenka, although the hapless Kauã Santos touched the ball. The final scoreline showed the exact reverse of Frankfurt's start to their European campaign: a 5-1 defeat.

Frankfurt's European campaign will not get easier after tonight’s struggle. They will face Premier League champions Liverpool and Serie A winners Napoli in the next two fixtures, while games against Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur await them in the final three rounds.