Report: Atleti held in Turkey, Top 8 hopes in jeopardy | OneFootball

Bittersweet taste in Istanbul. Atlético drew 1-1 against Galatasaray, in a match where Simeone’s team played much better in the first half than in the second, with chances for both teams to have scored more than one goal each.

The team came out charging, with a goal opportunity in the 2nd minute, missed by Julián Álvarez, who is clearly experiencing a goal drought. But the persistence paid off. Two minutes later, Sørloth received the ball at the edge of the box, held it with his back to goal, and combined with Ruggeri. The Italian came in from behind and sent a cross to the far post, where Giuliano headed in unmarked to score the first goal of the match. A goal that invited optimism, which ultimately did not come to fruition.

The Turkish team pressed and equalized relatively early, in an unfortunate play for Marcos Llorente. Sallai reached the byline after combining with Sané, played the ball back, and the Atlético full-back scored an own goal. The play wasn’t defended too badly, there was no clear recipient, but Llorente, in trying to clear the danger, put it into his own net.

From then on, there were several plays that didn’t find the target and didn’t generate enough danger to really trouble the Turkish team’s goal. However, Atlético ended up with yellow cards for Pubill and Almada, which would ultimately influence the changes against Galatasaray. 

Dominance without reward and with a scare

The second half brought many goal opportunities for both teams, but no reward for anyone. Especially for Atleti, who at times besieged Galatasaray, but without creating chances that truly troubled Cakir.

But there were some exceptions to that trend. Griezmann had a free kick after a foul on Giuliano at the edge of the box (with Julián Álvarez already on the bench), trying to repeat his goal from La Coruña. The shot was a bit more central than in the Copa, and the Turkish goalkeeper was able to clear it. In the same way, he later cleared Baena’s shot, which was also straight at him.

Galatasaray also had their chances, some of which were thwarted by Pubill, who headed away a cross intended for Victor Osimhen. The Turkish side also finished the match much stronger, pinning Atleti back.

The clearest chance came in the last moment of the match, with a shot from Sara that Oblak saved. The rebound was also cleared by Llorente (redeeming himself for the own goal in the first half), as Elmali was about to finish into an empty net.

In the end, a draw and the Top-8 spot up in the air until the final matchday.

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