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Due to Söyüncü's exclusion in the final third of the tie, Atlético, unlike Getafe, was forced to endure another epic session and accepted this postponed game on matchday four. I had to win or win. Llorente's goal keeps the fight for the title alive. A setback would have meant falling too far from the top of the table from Girona and Real Madrid.
1
Oblak, Samuel Lino, Witsel, Azpilicueta, Giménez, Nahuel Molina (Marcos Llorente, Min. 45), Rodrigo Riquelme (Correa, Min. 45), Griezmann (Reinildo Mandava, Min. 72), Koke (Soyuncu, Min. 66) , By Paul and Morata (Saúl, Min. 55)
0
Dmitrovic, Gudelj, Kike Salas, Sergio Ramos, Rakitic (Djibril Sow, min. 53), Óliver Torres (Rafa Mir, min. 78), Boubakary Soumare, Adrià Pedrosa (Januzaj, min. 81), Juanlu Sanchez, Suso (In -Nesyri, min. 52) and Lucas Ocampos
Goals 1-0 min 46: Marcos Llorente.
referee Cesar Soto Grado
Yellow cards Nahuel Molina (Min. 27), Giménez (Min. 37), Suso (Min. 42), Kike Salas (Min. 67), Witsel (Min. 77), Sergio Ramos (Min. 82), De Paul ( Min. 84), Azpilicueta (Min. 90) and Marcos Llorente (Min. 93)
Red cards for Soyuncu (min. 70)
Atlético didn't play well, but they got one of those victories that fills the eye and makes Simeone's chest expand. Their running through the field, flying and jumping, shows the dimension of this victory. Simeone was so aware of this that even before the Turkish centre-back was sacked, he had made changes aimed more at defending than condemning Sevilla. In a moment of need, Simeone became Simeone again.
His duels with Quique are usually characterized by tactical and competitive overload. They know each other and also share many concepts. The two also adopted the three-central defense a long time ago, when they were previously incorruptible followers of the 4-4-2. And with the defense at five, both stood. If anything, Quique's decision to field an XI with no pure strikers attracted attention. He formed his attacking partnership with Suso, a midfielder, and Ocampos, a winger.
If that was Quique's trick to surprise, then Simeone's trick was to surround Griezmann on the right wing so he could shoot diagonal balls from there or form partnerships with Molina and De Paul. An attempt by one of the two coaches to steal his wallet didn't work. According to the cards on the table, it was Atlético who won from the start. Morata faced Dmitrovic in a one-on-one match, which he lost after a wall with De Paul.
The duel began with rhythm and short fuses. For Sevilla, it was Oliver Torres and Rakitic who tried to get the ball to their team and Ocampos who caused excitement with advances and free throws. The Argentine is used to battling Atlético and seemed determined to do so until his team finally handed him control of the game. Sevilla gave in but did not let up in intensity. Atlético didn't give in either and an exciting and difficult duel developed. Everyone assumed that every time there was an argument, it was time to scratch. A series of ankle fouls determined the duel. Neither Dmitrovic nor Oblak had to intervene after the first quarter of an hour. At Atlético there was more stakes than just football and Sevilla trusted Ramos to guard the cave. The Camero's return to the Metropolitano was morbid.
Neither De Paul's advance, nor Morata's undermining work, nor Riquelme's attempts were enough to create real danger. Lino's attempt as an interior designer failed again. Simeone says he is more associative than Riquelme, but the Spanish-Brazilian plays little. Perhaps the idea behind this decision is that the defensive risks are lower when the youth player sits on the wing than when he takes up a more central position. The point is that this rule has caused more congestion than fluidity in two games. The first act was a competitive exercise between two teams that taught more skills than just silk.
The need to clarify his offense led Simeone to leave Riquelme and Nahuel Molina in the dugout. Llorente and Correa came in and Lino went into the lane. As was the case against Getafe, Atlético was naturalized by returning the Brazilian to that position. A dynamic one-touch ball release was refined by Koke with a 40-yard pass to Llorente, who held the ball on the edge of the penalty area. The cross that Morata was looking for was returned by Ramos in his attempt to clear it. Dmitrovic was already halfway down and didn't have time to correct and stop Llorente's shot.
It hadn't even been a minute since the restart and Atlético took the lead. Simeone didn't seem particularly confident that he would make it. He still had to consider that Getafe would gain a two-goal lead in the final minutes. So Simeone became Simeone again. Morata was first cleaned to bond with Saúl cement. Then it was Koke who brought in a central defender in Söyüncü and completed his toughest plan. There was even more, this time out of obligation, as the Turk saw a straight red card for stepping on Ocampos' heel. Griezmann made way for Reinildo, who returned to action after almost a year out due to injury. Once again with ten to defend a favorable result. And he was able to maintain it. It was 20 minutes of work and sweat. Quique had already made every effort with En-Nesyri and Rafa Mir. He barely overtook Oblak. Sevilla attacked the side centers and stayed there while Simeone pretended to fly with happiness.
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