Report: Atlético end pre-season with a win and positive signs | OneFootball

Atleti’s final preseason match before their league debut against Málaga. A 1-2 win in Marseille, in a match with plenty of rotation and minutes for many players as the team continues to shape itself to reach its full potential for the league opener.

The internationals who rejoined on August 10 did not travel. Otherwise, there was plenty of action at the Velodrome to leave fans with a good feeling, as they were able to follow the team through the official YouTube page.

The home side started with better rhythm and more chances, which they turned into the French team’s only goal of the match in the 22nd minute. A cross came in from the right for the hosts, and Paixäo finished brilliantly to make the most of Harit’s assist.

The first-half water break marked a turning point in the match. Atleti began to take control and push harder for the win. Before the cooling break, we did not see much combination play from the team in midfield, and the play was more direct, looking for our men up front. We had a couple of chances through Lookman, with Pablo Barrios threading passes from midfield (all of them stopped by offside).

After the water break, we saw more pressure from the team, and the equalizer came as a result in the 38th minute. Playing out from the back, Balerdi came under pressure from Lookman, who won the ball and set up Rodrigo Mendoza, who finished very well past De Lange with a low right-footed shot tucked inside the near post to level the match, and that was the score going into halftime.

Atlético were better in the second half and deserved the win

In the second half, we again saw plenty of changes from Cholo to share out the minutes. Although Olympique had chances to go ahead, such as Gouiri’s in the 58th minute, when he drove all the way to the byline and unleashed a great shot that crashed against the crossbar.

But Atleti once again showed control and created chances to score the winner, especially after the second-half water break. Boñar had a header in the 71st minute, while Arnau Ortiz got in behind the defense in the 72nd, but from a very tight angle he tried to surprise De Lange and could not find the target.

However, in the 78th minute, Arnau broke free down the right after his duel with Balerdi, went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and with great composure was able to set up Carlos Martín with a cutback that he made the most of to seal the winning goal for Atleti.

From that point on, Olympique pressed and pushed for an equalizer, but without success, which left not only the win but also a very good impression from our side in what was the final match of preseason.

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