Group B / Matchday 3
The Spanish striker penalizes the worrying rojiblanca defensive weakness with a goal and an assist and leaves Simeone’s team on the ropes in the Champions League
Little remains of that almost German defensive reliability that characterized Simeone’s Atlético. In Bruges, the alarming lack of forcefulness was taken advantage of by a Spaniard who triumphed in Belgium, Ferran Jutglà, with a goal and an assist to condemn the mattress team to a real path of thorns towards the knockout stages of the Champions League, in the style of what that happened last season although in a group with a higher pedigree. In Flemish lands, the athletic hosts had a jaw of glass, as they faltered before the rival’s attempts and did not have the punch to take advantage of their own.
Morata ran into Mignolet, Carrasco lacked aim and Griezmann crashed into the crossbar from the penalty spot. On the opposite side, Bruges did not forgive, with former Barça player Jutglà in command of operations. First in a combination with Sowah inside the area and before the permissiveness of Nahuel Molina, much better in attack than in defense, where he makes water. After finishing off a good action by Buchanan, a nightmare from the right wing to which Witsel and Reinildo gave all the time in the world to control, turn around and assist the fashion scorer. It is true that Atlético improved with the changes, but the reaction was late and now survival involves a three-way duel with Porto and Bayer Leverkusen with no margin for error.
And that Simeone turned to Griezmann as a starter, an important card reserved only for big games under the conditions of his loan from Barça. Atlético gave up the ball from the start and opted for high pressure to try to hit the counterattack after stealing. Thus came a good incursion by Marcos Llorente down the right lane. He gave in to the Madrid player for Carrasco’s arrival but the Belgian was slow in putting together the shot and crashed into Odoi’s body. It was the most dangerous at the beginning despite the local possession, encouraged by Buchanan’s speed.
two
witches
Mignolet, Odoi, Mechele, Sylla (Spileers, min. 89), Meijer (Sobol, min. 79), Nielsen, Onyedika, Vanaken, Buchanan (Balanta, min. 79), Jutglà (Nusa, min. 86) and Sowah.
0
Athletic
Oblak, Molina, Savic, Giménez (Kondogbia, min. 46), Reinildo, Witsel, Llorente (Correa, min. 33), Koke, Carrasco (Joao Félix, min. 80), Griezmann and Morata (Cunha, min. 65) .
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Goals:
1-0: min. 36, Sowah. 2-0: min. 62, Jutglà. -
Referee:
István Kovács (Romania). He booked Simeone, Reinildo and Savic, from Atlético, and Odoi, Onyedika, Buchanan, Mignolet and Sylla, for Bruges. -
Incidents:
Match of the third day in group B of the Champions played at the Jan Breydel stadium.
The Belgian possession did not bother Atlético, again incisive to test Mignolet’s reflexes through a center-shot from Griezmann but especially from Morata in a one-on-one after a great long pass from Molina, in which the veteran goalkeeper he became big to deny the goal. The scenario seemed placid for Simeone’s men, but if Marcos Llorente’s injury began to blur the mattress script, things definitely went wrong with a great combination between Jutglà and Sowah that the Ghanaian finished for the more than worrying 1-0.
Griezmann forgives
The defeat plagued the athletic road to the round of 16 with thorns and filled the pause with uncertainty, but the fact is that the start of the second act also increased the concern. Giménez, a recurring victim of physical problems, left his hole on the green for Kondogbia and Oblak rescued Atlético from KO with a saving hand downstairs before the shot of the dangerous Jutglà. Despite everything, Atlético still needed little to create danger on the counterattack. Carrasco and Griezmann feigned a draw and the feeling was that the mattress team only needed to put in one more gear to go for the game without complexes.
Far from taking that step forward, their worrying defensive weakness penalized the inspired Jutglà with the second local goal. Too much time for Buchanan to control, he turned and left it for the Spanish striker, who also had too much space to set up the shot. With everything lost, Atlético improved, revitalized by the entry of Cunha, first, and Joao Félix, later. Everything could have changed with a penalty shot that Griezmann sent to the crossbar and with a goal disallowed by the Frenchman for offside immediately after, but the truth is that the reaction was late and this Atlético mired in uncertainty will have to sweat a lot to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League.
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