“Why not continue dreaming and continue making history?” Vic fans asked themselves before entering a Hipòlit Planàs that was filled to capacity. And it could have been possible until the 80th minute, but a very dubious penalty on Giuliano Simeone prevented it.
Atlético del Cholo met a Vic who, although he is five categories below a champion of 11 leagues, did not let himself be intimidated. They promised it before the game: effort, fight and resistance are non-negotiable. And they printed this character on the field of play, forcing the Argentine coach to have to take out his best players to get out of the mess and avoid ridicule. In the last 25 minutes, he brought together four world champions on the artificial grass of the Osonenc fiefdom: Griezmann, Correa, Nahuel Molina and Julián Álvarez. The ‘Spider’ took action and scored the two goals in the red and white victory (0-2).
The red-and-white coach seemed to have it clear: he did not want any surprises and brought out mainstays like Sorloth, Correa, Riquelme and Gallagher to beat the rocky Vigitano team.
From the opening stages, Atlético came out intense and took control of the ball (82% possession), but that dominance did not translate at times nor did it manage to intimidate Osona’s team. The colchoneros were very imprecise when it came to finishing the plays and somewhat short of ideas in the midfield. They tried it with internships by Giuliano Simeone and Reinildo, although they were in vain.
Atlético’s best minutes were at the end of the first half. Sorloth had the 0-1 in his boots, but it seemed that Nil Pradas (midfielder) avoided it with his hand. Cuadra Fernández did not blow the maximum penalty. Simeone, seeing that his team was getting stuck, became desperate on the wing. When the referee pointed the way to the locker room, the Osonenca fans celebrated it as a triumph.
After the halfway point, the game opened up more and the Atlético players roamed around the Osonencs area more. The triple change by the mattress coach seemed to bear fruit (Lemar, Koke and Javi Galán came in for Kostis, Javi Serrano and Sorloth). However, they were still not accurate in front of Agustín Mora’s goal, despite some flashes from Ángel Correa.
Simeone had to take off Koke, Julián Álvarez and Griezmann in the second half
Despite locking up the locals more, Ramon Carrascal’s team responded well in the counterattacks and gave Atlético a couple of scares. Dídac Serra on the right wing was a great threat for Diego Pablo Simeone’s men and Arnau Prat was just a few meters away from having the 1-0 in his boots.
El Cholo, desperate, pulled out of his wallet and changed Rodrigo Riquelme for Julián Álvarez. The Argentine gave fresh air to an Atleti lacking ideas. Even more noticeable was the incorporation of Antoine Griezmann in the 67th minute, who replaced Lemar who had to leave due to discomfort.
As the final stretch of the duel approached, the local fans became more agitated and even the extra stands were shaking. But when there were only 10 minutes left to extend the dream, Cuadra Fernández signaled the maximum penalty after Giuliano Simeone fell in the area. The referee interpreted that Gil Bertrana had knocked him down, but the action was very doubtful. The local player ‘Sete’ Senyé protested, he was given a second yellow card and the Vigitano team was left with ten.
Vic played the last 10 minutes with one less after the expulsion of ‘Sete’ Senyé
Julián Álvarez was responsible for converting from eleven meters. Agustín Mora hit the target, but the Argentine outlined a shot very close to the post that was unstoppable. After opening the can, the colchoneros were more confident. Griezmann had a goal disallowed due to a previous offside by Javi Galán and, in the 89th minute, Correa received in the area to serve at will to Álvarez, who finished off the second goal at the long post.
When the referee signaled the end of the match, the most important match in Vic’s history had ended. Hipòlit Planàs applauded their players, who were worthy of a dream that came true.
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