Report, Atlético earn a point amid Julián and Hernández Hernández circus | OneFootball

First home draw of the season, against a major opponent like Villarreal (2-2), and it leaves a bittersweet taste for everyone, given the circumstances that led to the final result.

With the added drama of the loud jeers aimed at Julián Álvarez (who came on in the second half), we saw a first half dominated by possession and control of the match, although Villarreal looked dangerous on the counterattack. The goals, however, came in the second half, when the game opened up.

Atleti controlled the game in the opening forty-five minutes, but without really making that dominance count, and without creating clear-cut chances that truly threatened the visitors’ goal.

But Villarreal’s counterattacks were dangerous, with Mikautadze taking center stage in the 36th minute and forcing a great save from Oblak. The same happened in stoppage time, this time with Ayoze and Oblak involved, after a pass from Comesaña and a superb shoulder save from the Slovenian keeper.

Goals, whistles, and penalties in the second half

Villarreal started the second half better, and five minutes after the restart, a great move by Pépé took him past Grimaldo and, from almost no angle, forced Oblak into a big effort to keep out the goal.

And from that scare came a superb goal by Pubill in the 59th minute, after a passing move and a finish very similar to Kang In Lee’s in the opening matchday against Málaga, placing the ball into the top corner and putting our team ahead.

But from that point on, the team failed to manage the game and seal the result that would have given us all three points. Hjulmand lost the ball near Oblak’s goal, tried to win it back, but in his eagerness he chased Buchanan and brought him down for a penalty, which Gerard Moreno converted to level the match.

Things got even more complicated in the 72nd minute, with a penalty by Le Normand on Mikautadze. The Georgian forward went on a surging run that ended with a shot that failed to beat Oblak, but Le Normand chased him and, just before the shot, pushed him with both hands and knocked him off balance, affecting his finish.

The action was not initially called as a foul on the shot, but VAR overturned the on-field decision. Once the penalty was given, the Atleti defender was shown a red card for being the last man and for making no attempt to play the ball. Mikautadze scored, and we were left chasing the game with ten men.

A real shame, because the penalty was avoidable. Oblak (who has not been sharp on penalties) was doing well in one-on-one situations, and we could have avoided the opponent’s second goal.

The team did not collapse, played well with one man down, and took control in an effort to hold on to a point. Then came a great ball-carrying run by Alex Baena, who set up Giuliano with an excellent pass, and he scored to secure at least a point.

In the end, there were plenty of whistles for Julián Álvarez, who was not especially involved in the match, although he did try a couple of efforts on goal in the closing stages, and it was a bittersweet draw for everyone, especially for us.

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