A resistance exercise simeonesca and it gave Atlético little process with the ball to defeat Real Sociedad, a team that looked shiny and threatening at the Metropolitano after a fine performance in its Champions League match in Salzburg. He proposed Imanol’s team more, which ran into a union Atlético to first defend Lino’s goal and in extension time Griezmann’s, the result of a much-discussed penalty by Real Sociedad. The Frenchman’s previous shot hit the hand of Carlos Fernández, who was on the ground, with the other hugging supported, but with his back turned and oblivious to the trajectory of the ball, which was going towards the goal, with Remiro also defeated on the grass. Griezmann took the penalty to give victory to an exhausted team, which arrives at the international break with its tongue hanging out, but fully involved in the fight for the title despite the infernal scoring pace set by the leader Real Madrid and its pursuer, the Barcelona. La Real was also harmed because the referee did not signal Morata’s hands after a header from Brais Méndez. The VAR review did not change the coach’s opinion.
2
Oblak, Mario Hermoso, Witsel, Azpilicueta (Savic, min. 78), De Paul (Saúl, min. 72), Marcos Llorente (Rodrigo Riquelme, min. 72), Nahuel Molina, Samuel Lino (Javi Galán, min. 78) , Koke, Griezmann and Morata
1
Remiro, Hamari Traore, Le Normand (Jon Pacheco, min. 65), Zubeldia, Aihen Muñoz, Martín Zubimendi, Brais, Merino (Arsen Zakharyan, min. 65), Barrenetxea (André Silva, min. 90), Oyarzabal (Sadiq, min. 90) and Take Kubo (Carlos Fernández, min. 65)
Goals 1-0 min. 22: Samuel Lino. 1-1 min. 73: Oyarzabal. 2-1 min. 88: Griezmann.
Referee José Luis Munuera Montero
Yellow cards Le Normand (min. 15), Koke (min. 48), Hamari Traore (min. 85), Carlos Fernández (min. 86), Griezmann (min. 95) and Javi Galán (min. 96)
Atlético also won by trade and for showing a tougher skin than their opponent. Where he did not reach with the game, he gave it with his soul against a Real Sociedad that did not deserve the defeat due to the effort he put into the entire second half to at least equal Lino’s goal. This was a bit of a dog team. Aware that a wasteland was opening behind Traoré’s back, Koke chipped the ball over for the Brazilian’s break. He approached Remiro and beat him through the post that was covering the royalist goal.
The goal was one of those tactical maneuvers that spring up in the coaches’ heads after eviscerating the opponent in the videos. It came after the first twenty minutes of play, after a hectic start, with Real threatening to have a goal disallowed by Oyarzabal before the first minute was up due to offside and Atlético causing fear with a counterattack threat. That start responded to the pedigree that was assumed for the duel. Two teams at the top of the table, both dedicated to the script of their coaches. The red and whites, betting on the vertical game, the blue and whites on the touch.
It happened that Atlético accused too soon of being a team hit by injuries and exhausted by the demanding schedule. Simeone had aired Saúl so that Llorente and De Paul accompanied Koke. The interior from Elche accumulated five full-time games. Cholo needed legs from his midfielders to help Lino with Kubo and Nahuel Molina with Barrenetxea. Simeone did not take any risks with Savic either and kept the solvent Azpilicueta in the eleven.
In front, Imanol repeated that eleven that exudes control of the matches without a classic nine of reference like Oyarzabal and two daggers on the sides. Kubo on the right and Barrenetxea on the left. Both were inconsequential in the first act, the result of the shielding prepared by the red-and-white coach. They had little activity and his team accused him greatly. He engaged Real in a mannerist and slightly sharp game of so many security passes that were given between Zubeldia, Zubimendi, Brais Méndez and Mikel Merino. He proposed a lot and Real had little, which was hurt by Lino’s goal and was able to go into the break with another goal against in another Atlético laboratory play. This time a lateral foul that Koke let pass on the edge of the area and De Paul hit the post with a beautiful thread. Atlético was in that version in which it needs very little to achieve a lot.
La Real found itself in the second act with a radicalization of the script of the first half. Atlético’s retreat into their own field was more brazen, willing to resist and score Lino’s goal. Castiled, he was able to get oil from another stopped ball that Witsel crashed against the post. A second blow would have been too hard for Real. Imanol’s team continued to corner him, becoming more and more threatening. Oyarzabal smashed a ball off the post before Imanol threw himself into an open grave for the game with the entry of Carlos Fernández, Pacheco, and Zakharyan for Le Normand, and the blurred Kubo and Merino. Simeone answered, introducing Saúl and Riquelme for Llorente and De Paul. The move preceded Real’s tie. It was one of the few occasions in which he was able to run on the counterattack after a foul in favor of Atlético that died on the edge of the Remiro area. Real came out hard on the counterattack and Oyarzabal finished it off in the open field after an excellent change of play by Carlos Fernández. The goal did justice to the efforts of Real, the absolute ruler of the second half. But he found that tough Atlético skin to get something from where there is nothing. This time a penalty that the referee was clear about, but not the Real players.
Oyarzabal: “They release statements that do not help the referees”
The Real Sociedad players showed their anger at the referee for the penalty that was not awarded by Morata and for the one that was awarded in favor of Atlético de Madrid by the hands of Carlos Fernández. “It’s not a hand up, it’s a hand to the side when he’s down,” the royalist captain, Mikel Oyarzabal, complained after the game. And without naming him, he pointed out a culprit, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, CEO of Atlético, and the statement he published accusing Real Madrid of manipulating the League.
“We live in a football in which extra-sports statements are often made by clubs, which do not help the referees, football, and then things like this happen. The referees are also under a lot of pressure, we don’t want to think badly, but it makes you angry that the same play in one area generates doubts, they say no and the other is very clear,” added the Real captain. His coach, Imanol Alguacil, did not want to get into controversy, but he is no stranger to the general confusion that exists. “I’m going to be honest, I’m not clear about the rules with my hands,” he stated. For Simeone, “when it’s in your favor you’re happy and when it’s against you, you’re screwed.”
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