Report: Atleti struggle but ask for another round of Copa 🏆 | OneFootball

The Atleti has qualified for the next round of the Copa del Rey not without suffering against Atlético Baleares. All this in a knockout round where the Balearic team made things very difficult for our Atleti, and where Musso was the best in the cup debut.

And this is what the Cup is about, whoever brings enthusiasm and a lot of grit has much to gain in this competition. Especially if we talk about a lower-category team when playing against one of the best teams in Europe, as happened this afternoon at the Estadio Balear. The tension demonstrated between one team and the other was very different, with the locals showing more desire from the 20th minute until the end of the match.

The first 20 minutes were indeed of great level from Atleti, with pressure that led to a two-goal advantage over Atlético Baleares, which predicted a very smooth knockout round in the cup debut. By the quarter-hour mark, Musso had already shown that he would be the best of Atleti, in a one-on-one with Juanmi Durán, after a loss in the ball exit by Nahuel, but saving the first great chance for the locals.

But not having taken advantage of that chance, Atleti imposed its superiority over Atlético Baleares and, first, Griezmann received the ball at the edge of the small area and scored with ease. All after a great play by Gallagher, who settled the ball after a previous pass from Almada, which led to the 0-1. And just a few minutes later, Raspadori placed a beautiful header into the back of the net after a great assist from Nahuel, in the only good thing he did during the match.

The knockout round was on track, or at least it seemed so. The team seemed to want to put the match to sleep, just when, from a corner, Castell flicked a ball to the far post, and Gerardo ended up scoring the first goal for Atlético Baleares, in a scrappy play. It was a wake-up call for our team not to fall asleep, although it would not be what we would see in the second half.

The worst thing by far in the first 45 minutes was the injury to Lenglet almost at the beginning of the match, due to a knee twist, so we will have to keep an eye on his progress.

Second half of goals, suffering, and excitement until the end

The start of the second half brought us chances at both goals. The first in a play similar to the locals' goal, but led by Atleti. Almada in a corner flicked to the far post, but Carlos Martín couldn't make the third for the red and whites. All in an action that was invalidated for offside.

But after that, Atlético Baleares had two one-on-ones with Musso, with the Argentine saving Atleti, gradually becoming the hero of the match. First with Durán and right after against Tovar. The team was suffering, needing Griezmann to regain the prominence of the first twenty minutes. A necessary prominence, to be able to seal the match. And his magic returned with a goal in the 72nd minute, thanks to a great pass from Galán to the heart of the area that the French star pushed in with quality.

Again, there was a two-goal difference, but the locals did not give up and continued creating chances, to the point of enjoying two penalties in the last ten minutes of the match. The first was caused by Musso, trying to clear the ball with his fists but hitting Castell's head. Musso also saved it, with a great save, leaving a slightly calmer end, still with a two-goal difference.

Right after, Musso made a great dive to save the locals' second, keeping the score at 1-3. And in the 88th minute, Nico, who had come on minutes earlier, committed an unnecessary penalty. Moha, who had won the penalty, did not miss and made it 2-3. It was time to suffer.

The last minutes were nerve-wracking for an Atleti that did not face any dangerous actions and in the end secured the victory. A new round, already in 2026, but first, they will close the year by visiting Girona.

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