Report: Atlético impress against Espanyol | OneFootball

Great match from Atleti at home against Espanyol de Barcelona (4-2), which not only serves to secure three crucial points, but also boosts faith and self-esteem ahead of the match against Brugge, which we have next week and which will define a large part of our fate this season.

And because of that, due to the importance of the Belgian team's visit on Tuesday and with qualification for the Champions League round of 16 at stake, Cholo Simeone has had to rotate the squad to give rest to the most important players for what’s to come.

This time, it was clear that the team rose to the occasion, although making some defensive errors that need to be corrected, and with the feeling that we are very solid at home. Beyond the result (which was very important, even more so after Betis slipped up), the performance of several players was very good and assertive.

On one hand, Sorloth, who scored twice and was the standout player on the team, fighting, trying to assist, and of course scoring and creating a lot of danger for the red-and-white attack. Ruggeri also created danger, becoming more and more involved, with crosses almost reaching the byline, generating a lot of threat and many rewards for the team.

Johnny Cardosa also had a good game, defending forward and managing the midfield well, with his role being key for the upcoming matches. The same can be said for Alex Baena, who also needs to take on more responsibility and gain confidence in this final stretch of the season.

The match didn’t start well, with a loss of possession by Griezmann in the opponent’s half (in my opinion, Espanyol’s recovery was preceded by a foul by Dolan on the French star), which led to a quick counterattack finished off by Jofre, who got ahead of Marcos Llorente and scored with a bit of luck, stumbling as he struck the ball.

It didn’t take long for Atleti to make their dominance of play and possession count, and in the 20th minute, our Norwegian striker scored his first goal of the night, which would be the equalizer. A cross at mid-height was brought down by Sorloth, who finished at the far post, beating Dmitrovic.

Atleti pressed until the end of the first half, with chances including a clear one from Griezmann in the 26th minute, but without success, which sent us to the locker room level on the scoreboard.

Goals and solidity to seal the win in the second half

The second half brought us many goals (four in total from both teams) and better performances from some players who have stepped up for the remainder of the season.

Giuliano scored in the 49th minute to complete the comeback, with a magnificent assist from Baena to the Argentine, who cut in diagonally and beat Dmitrovic from the right corner of the six-yard box.

And ten minutes later, it was Lookman who extended the lead. From a corner, Ruggeri flicked the ball backward with his head, and Lookman dove in at the far post to score Atleti’s third goal, a goal that in some ways reminded us of the one he scored in Brugge at the end of the first half.

Then we reached a couple of minutes where both teams were close to scoring. Sorloth made a run spotted brilliantly by Ruggeri, who played a ball between two defenders that the Norwegian striker won. He beat Dmitrovic, but not the post, which denied him his second goal of the match.

Another post, this time the crossbar, denied Espanyol a possible goal after a half-hearted exit from Oblak. But the goal that did count was Atleti’s fourth, after a cross from Ruggeri and a header from Sorloth that sealed the match. The Norwegian’s almost perfect afternoon was rounded off when he nearly assisted Almada, who couldn’t finish, but received a very generous pass from Sorloth, who preferred to give it to the Argentine rather than go for his own third goal.

Espanyol pulled one back in the 80th minute, with a missile from Edu Expósito that went in at the near post past Oblak. A goal that narrowed the gap, but never really threatened Atleti’s victory in the match.

Great win for Atleti that also boosts morale ahead of next week’s Champions League match.

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