Match report: Baena shines in the win over Sevilla | OneFootball

Atleti’s first away win came at a very important moment for the Colchoneros, who, without any forwards, managed a great result with outstanding efficiency, better than what they had shown at home.

A very comfortable first half for Atleti, with excellent finishing in front of goal and very fluid wing play, especially down the left, with Lookman and Grimaldo constantly creating a huge amount of danger. Added to that was a magnificent Baena, who produced both chances and goals in equal measure.

In fact, it was Baena who opened the scoring, with Atleti’s first real chance to get on the scoresheet. A great assist from Kang In Lee found the Almería-born player’s run, and he stroked the ball home with a low shot that beat Vlachodimos, confirming the world champion’s fine form.

Sevilla did not give up and tried to push forward, even though Atleti kept creating danger and threatening a second goal. In the 23rd minute, Kike Salas tested Oblak, who responded confidently, but two minutes later Lookman did find the target, doubling the Rojiblancos’ lead with a powerful right-footed strike after cutting inside and once again beating the Sevilla goalkeeper by the narrowest of margins.

And Atleti did not have to wait long to extend their lead even further, with a powerful shot from outside the box by Baena that gave him his brace, leaving them with a very clear advantage heading into the second half and putting them in a great position to claim very important points in the standings.

Sevilla’s late surge and a gritty Atleti

In the second half, the scoreline largely dictated how both sides approached the next 45 minutes. Sevilla pushed hard, while Atleti tried to break forward dangerously on the counterattack.

And in the 50th minute, they nearly scored a fourth, on a counter led by Baena, who set up Lookman, and he scored… but Baena’s initial offside meant it did not count.

Sevilla managed to cut the deficit a little in the 66th minute, adding some excitement to the match. Sierra latched onto a loose ball near the edge of the six-yard box and beat Oblak’s dive, which made the Sánchez Pizjuán start to believe in a comeback.

Atleti continued to threaten on the counter with Sevilla fully committed to attack, and as a result, in the 72nd minute, Barrios came close to scoring the fourth of the afternoon with a header, bouncing the ball inside the six-yard box after a great pass from Baena to Arnau, who got all the way to the byline before delivering a fine ball to Barrios.

In the closing stages, the changes to the starting players stood out, as the new lineup kept Sevilla in check. Also notable was a Hjulmand action that was reviewed for a possible penalty but came to nothing, and a free kick taken by Grimaldo that bounced just before the Sevilla goalkeeper tried to gather it, causing a rebound that Arnau almost pounced on, but he sent it over.

In the end, it was a fine win against a team that had not yet tasted defeat, lifting the Rojiblancos’ spirits, with all eyes now on the close of the transfer window.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.