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Oblak, who is not having his best season, prevented Atlético de Madrid from going into a tailspin. The whistle blew at the Metropolitano after a tidy first half that gave the red and whites a two-goal lead, and a second in which Betis woke up and made Atlético suffer badly until the end. Simeone had to replenish the team with midfielders and defenders to salvage a restorative win, but that didn't hide the lull in the game that the Colchoneros are going through. Betis could have equalized had Oblak not managed to get out of a forest of legs and prevent a shot from Guido Rodríguez that leveled the score at two points. Atlético haven't quite found their regularity and balance in the last few weeks. Cholo moves pieces, but he can't quite find the key. Change the defense, the midfield or the attacking line and the whole thing will be out of order.
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Oblak, Gabriel Paulista, Mario Hermoso, Witsel, Koke (Saúl, min. 62), Pablo Barrios Rivas, De Paul (Nahuel Molina, min. 62), Marcos Llorente, Samuel Lino (Rodrigo Riquelme, min. 80), Morata ( Savic, Min. 86) and Depay (Reinildo Mandava, Min. 80)
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Rui Silva, Chadi Riad, Héctor Bellerín (Juan Miranda, min. 72), Pezzella, Sabaly, Chimy Ávila (Ayoze Pérez, min. 72), Fornals, Marc Roca (Guido Rodríguez, min. 45), Johnny (Abde, min . 90), Rodri (William Carvalho, min. 45) and Willian José
Goals 1-0 Min. 7: Rui Silva (S.). 2:0 minutes. 43: Morata. 2-1 min 61: William Carvalho.
referee Cesar Soto Grado
Yellow cards for Paul (min. 18), Pezzella (min. 67) and Guido Rodríguez (min. 85)
Affected by the elimination from the cup and the image it projected in San Mamés, Atlético at least secured the necessary victory. Simeone and his players needed it, now overwhelmed by the need to consolidate at least fourth place. The game was something different, not very fluid and jerky against an opponent that collapsed into nothingness in the second half, which took a step forward.
Atlético are not doing well, no matter how often Simeone moves the lineup in search of more assertiveness in both areas. Without Griezmann, who is still recovering from his ankle injury, the Morata-Memphis attack pairing started this Sunday. It happened that a trio of reliable midfielders was not yet established in the middle. The decline in form that Koke and De Paul are going through made the red and whites a discontinuous team, unable to maintain the drinkable start they had. He pushed Betis into a corner with strong pressure and boxed the green and white team into a corner. Pellegrini's team played at the Metropolitano without the injured Fekir and Isco. This lack of offensive soul seemed to describe a team destined to accept submission from its rival. De Paul quickly warned with an idea, which he handled with little precision. Atlético were encouraged and had an early lead. Koke took advantage of a poor ball release from Betis to send a cross into the penalty area, which she slotted into her own goal between Bellerín, Pezzella and Rui Silva.
The blow further devastated Betis, who had to admit defeat to their goalkeeper. Memphis hit the Portuguese goalkeeper twice in a row. Atlético then resorted to knee-jerk football, which earned them a penalty after half an hour. Rui Silva blocked Morata, who cut well through the middle of the box and received a filtered pass from Memphis. The VAR had to check whether Morata was offside due to a nail before the Madrid attacker took a tame and easy shot into the corner that was saved by Rui Silva. Morata's subsequent attempts were also blocked by the green and white goalkeeper. Rodri threatened Oblak with an equalizer before Morata equalized with a header from Rui Silva's free-kick. With twenty goals in all competitions, the same as Bellingham, Morata now boasts his best record since his professional career
With more goals than games, Atlético went into the break with two goals, which suggested a comfortable game given the lead and the little resistance that Betis offered. But William Carvalho's intervention turned the game around. The Portuguese midfielder had an imperial impact. He began removing and distributing balls with an authority that put Atlético's midfielders in a very poor position. Carvalho himself made it clear that he was gone. He saw Oblak in front of him and fired a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area that hit the Slovenian goalkeeper. Simeone felt he had to guide his team more to preserve the result than to extend it. He dropped Koke at game time as his physical stats suggested he should no longer be out, and also De Paul. This is because after establishing himself as one of the leaders of the team and the locker room, he has found himself in a worrying crisis.
Betis continued their reign and forced Oblak to become the hero of his team. First, he marked Ayoze in a one-on-one, which the Canary Islands striker created with a turn in the penalty area that exposed the defensive weakness that has plagued Atlético this season. In the end, Oblak became player of the game with an amazing performance. Guido Rodríguez hit a volley in the penalty area amid a crowd of players. Visibility was poor, but Oblak's low fly and mitt managed to hit the ball against the base of the post. The stands of the Metropolitano then exploded against their team's game. The whistles grew louder and were the prelude to an agonizing end in which an armored Atlético saved the result. With three minutes left, Simeone brought down Morata to replace Savic. The message was clear. The lead with which Atlético, Riqulme and Llorente ended the game betrayed the fears and desire for a victory, as did the leaps of joy with which Simeone reached the entrance to the dressing room.
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