He Atlético de Madrid could not recover from his last European disappointment and fell to the Betis (1-0) at the Benito Villamarín. An own goal by José María Giménez was enough for the Andalusian team to take the three points in a match in which Simeone lost the tactical battle against Pellegrini who achieved a large number of recoveries and did not let the red and white team combine.
It didn’t take a single play for Betis to begin applying their coach’s game plan. The Verdiblancos looked for possession of the ball and progressions along the wingsespecially the left, where Abde was a headache for the red and white defense.
Even before reaching the fifth minute, the locals took the lead on the scoreboard. Betis put together a dangerous play on the left wing thanks to a deep delivery from the Andalusian defense. Abde got the ball and charged powerfully against the rival goal, looking for the pass to Vitor Roque. The ball bounced off Witsel, which affected the trajectory and the eventual attempted cut by Giménez, who ended up sending the ball into his own goal.
Simeone’s team collapsed, incapable of generating relevant football in the center of the field in the face of the almost immediate recoveries of the Andalusians. Johnny Cardoso filtered a pinpoint pass behind Witsel’s back. Abde remained one-on-one with Oblak, but the Moroccan threw the ball wide. The former Barça player continued trying, first with a long-distance shot, and then with a shot against the crossbar in the next play. Villamarín roared and Atlético de Madrid trembled.
Beyond a header from Reinildo, the Madrid team offered little in the first half, which ended with several chances that Vitor Roque and Chimy Ávila failed to convert. After the break and Simeone’s changes The rojiblancos improved, as they almost equalized with a point-blank shot from Griezmann and a cannon shot from Julián Álvarez.
Once again, Atleti’s match was marked by controversy. Pablo Fornals crashed the ball against the crossbar, and headed in to finish off the rebound. Javi Galán put his leg in, in a dangerous play, and the referee signaled the maximum penalty, but The VAR made Gil Manzano change his mindwho rectified his decision given that the red-and-white full-back touched the ball before Fornals’ head.
Simeone relied on the usual red-and-white impetus, but on this occasion it was not enough. Ángel Correa met the post twice, certifying the defeat of Atlético de Madrid, who has fallen in three of its last five games playedand registers only one victory in its last six events.
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