Atletico Madrid achieved a key victory in their league aspirations by defeating Athletic Club at San Mamés. A goal from Angel Correa A counterattack in stoppage time helped the Colchoneros secure their first away win this season (0-1).
The goal by the Argentine, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes, was perhaps Too much punishment for a Bilbao team which lacked clarity, but did have the intensity and rhythm to at least score a draw.
A first half marked by intensity, but with few chances
The colchoneros used instinct first to hold those of Ernesto Valverde and then to strike when Athletic had no more ability to respond. A victory that returns the team to Cholo Simeone their positive momentum at ‘La Catedral’ after the two setbacks they received last season.
And that was when the afternoon started badly for the Colchonero team with the Jan Oblak’s last-minute withdrawalThe Slovenian goalkeeper was not included in the squad due to a stomach problem that caused the Argentine’s unexpected debut. Juan MussoIt was not the only debut in an Atlético eleven with seven changes compared to the one that started against Espanyol. Connor Gallagher He was a starter for the first time with the Colchonero team.
Less revolutionary was the eleven of an Athletic with four variants and a higher average age than the one that faced Valencia. Valverde introduced Lekue, Yuri, Herrera and Nico Williams in the positions of De Marcos, Adama, Jauregizar and Djaló.
The first half had the high intensity expectedbut few notable actions in the areas. The high pressure of the locals gave them the initiative of the game, but Valverde’s men lacked precision and more speed when moving the ball to test Musso.
Simeone’s team looked relatively comfortable in defensive tasks, although they had a hard time trying to prevent the Bilbao team from recovering. With these premises it seemed that the opportunities would only come from some error and The only one was committed by Athletic before reaching the quarter hour.
A lack of understanding between Lekue and Yeray left Julian Alvarez alone against Julen Arrizabalagabut the Argentine had a tenth of a second to spare before firing home, which Yuri took advantage of to avert the danger with a good defensive move. It was practically the only moment of concern in the first half.
Correa decides the match as soon as he comes on after a competitive second half
The break suited the teams well. In the first play Nico Williams He scored from a cross from his brother Iñaki, but The goal was eventually disallowed due to an offside that was much tighter than it seemed.. And Atlético also raised their game a gear with a very active Griezmann and Samu Lino creating a lot of danger on the left flank.
These were the best moments for Simeone’s men. The Brazilian winger came close to scoring on two occasions, but Athletic failed to dismantle them and led to a spectacular back-and-forth that raised the temperature of the match.
The moves made in the middle of the second half gave the game a new twist. Athletic gained vitality with the young Jauregizar and Djaló and the visitors oxygen and muscle with Riquelme and De Paul.
Sancet made Musso shine In the 67th minute, Atlético, supported by Sorloth, tried to counterattack, although both teams were more concerned with at least securing a draw.
However, a serious local error in extra time led to the defeat. A loose horizontal pass from Nico Williams compromised the team too much. placewho lost the ball under pressure from SorlothThe Norwegian threw the ball into the race of Correa cut inside Agirrezabala to score into an empty net.
A bucket of cold water at the end of the match cleared up Atlético’s doubts before the break and, after the surge three days ago against Valencia, cooled the atmosphere of the red-and-whites before the break.
