Atlético continues in free fall
Simeone’s men can’t with Espanyol with ten and Joao Félix, scorer of the equalizer, is not enough to avoid a new setback
MADRID, 6 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid gave up a draw this Sunday against RCD Espanyol at the Cívitas Metropolitano (1-1) which aggravated their crisis of results, in a match in which they failed to take advantage of the expulsion of the parakeet Leandro Cabrera before half an hour and in which only the Portuguese Joao Félix, coming off the bench, managed to avoid a greater disappointment.
After being eliminated from all European competitions with their defeat against Porto (2-1), the rojiblanco team continues without reacting, mired in their depressive state. Not even the espanyolista expulsion invited him to take the lead in a clash in which Sergi Darder did take advantage of his opportunity to make it 0-1.
Again Joao Félix, almost ostracized by the athletic coach, had to come to the rescue, with a goal ten minutes after taking the field, from the colchoneros (24), who maintain third place but could give it up if Real Betis o Real Sociedad manage to win this day.
In the trial after the ‘Champions’ debacle before his public, who received the team with shouts of ‘Ole, ole, ole, Cholo Simeone’ and some distant whistle, the Argentine coach returned to 4-4-2, with the news of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Yannick Carrasco, Álvaro Morata and the recovered Marcos Llorente with respect to the eleven he formed in O Dragao.
Despite timid initial attempts, the game fell into a lethargy from which it only awoke with the surprise expulsion of Uruguayan Leandro Cabrera in the 28th minute, who brought down Morata when he was about to be left alone against Lecomte.
With one more, the mattress group stretched and began to arrive more frequently at the parakeet area; a shot from above by Llorente and a shot by Nahuel Molina that hit Aleix Vidal’s body warned Diego Martínez’s team, who also survived the incursions by Reinildo and Carrasco.
Despite playing inferior, Espanyol entered without complexes in the exchange of blows at the beginning of the second half, with Oliván, Morata and Correa as protagonists. His gallantry brought with it the prize of going ahead at the Metropolitano, wrapped in whistles after Sergi Darder sent the ball to the bottom of the net after Joselu’s combing (min. 62).
The atmosphere predicted a new disaster and Simeone chose to give entry to Joao Félix, bigoleador in Cádiz and forced to act as a shock this season. With the Portuguese on the field, the red-and-white team regained the initiative and managed to neutralize the Catalan goal at last in the 78th minute; Thomas Lemar put in a great through ball for the striker, who calmly put it low near the left post.
The Portuguese was still able to increase the score with a header after Llorente’s cross that the Espanyol goalkeeper managed to stop and, already in stoppage time, ran into Lecomte when he was about to finish off in the area. With this, Atlético has already accumulated four games in a row without winning.
–RESULT: ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, 1 – RCD ESPANYOL, 1 (0-0, at half-time).
ATLETICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Molina, Savic, Giménez, Reinildo; Llorente, De Paul (Correa, min.46), Kondogbia (Witsel, min.66), Carrasco (Joao Félix, min.66); Morata (Cunha, min.73) and Griezmann (Lemar, min.73).
RCD ESPANYOL: Lecomte; Óscar Gil (Omar, min. 88), Calero, Cabrera, Oliván (Simo, min. 56); Vinícius Souza, Keidi Bare (Sergi Gómez, min. 35), Vidal (Pol Lozano, min. 88), Darder; Braithwaite (Puado, min.56) and Joselu.
0-1, min.62: Darder.
1-1, min.78: Joao Felix.
–REFEREE: Pulido Santana (C.Las Palmas). He admonished Kondogbia (min.59), Giménez (min.83) and Joao Félix (min.88) by Atlético de Madrid and Oliván (min.34), Braithwaite (min.53), Lecomte (min. .74), Aleix Vidal (min.85) and Omar (min.95) by RCD Espanyol. He expelled Cabrera with a direct red card (min.28).
–STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano. 50,007 spectators.
