It’s not the most impressive victory nor the biggest rival, but Atletico Madrid’s win over Oviedo adds a seventh successive win on the heels of Madrid, whom they temporarily trail by one point, and Barcelona, … Who visits next Tuesday. Sorloth’s double in the first half hour is enough to topple the Asturian team, which remains the Red Lanterns. The Oviedo team is looking to get into the game after the break, but its lack of success allows the team in red and white to live with peace of mind, in addition to entering league history as the first team to top the results in the first 14 days, and allow itself to rotate and win to reach the Camp Nou with comfort.
The visit of the bottom side represents the perfect opportunity for Simeone to deliberate and rest four of his most important men, such as Julian Alvarez, Barrios, Giuliano and Jimenez, for an eleven-game return in goal for Oblak, who, like Koke, was feted before the start of his historic sixth match for Zamora, with more than 700 appearances for the red and white under his belt.
With the ball in play, just a few minutes are enough to glimpse that it could be Sorloth’s day, who will be present at all Atletico events. The first was stopped by Escadil, the second stepped up, but he did not forgive the third. Great play on the left flank between Hanko, Nico Gonzalez and Baena ended with the Slovakian helping the Norwegian to score the first goal of the match at will. The goal also puts Atletico in league history, becoming the first team ever to lead the tournament in the first 14 days of competition.
Oviedo does not change its plan and remains a proactive team trying to compete for possession with the red and white team, but the difficulty of the Asturians in cutting off athletic combinations makes it very difficult to think of an equal match. Both teams take turns finishing the round back and forth, where, as expected, the team that wins the prize is the Colchoneros. Hanko reappears on the left, emphatically a full-back for life, and finds Sorloth’s position in the area. The Norwegian’s first shot is denied, but the ball is open to him again and the attacker does not miss it, increasing Atletico’s advantage and goal tally.
With the score at 2-0, Oviedo was able to collect more of the ball and take advantage of Cazorla’s quality, which has remained intact despite his 40 years of age, although this does not translate to the scoreboard. Firstly Phineas with a header in the middle, and above all Hassan with a wrong shot, wasting two delicious shots from the Asturian. An attacking career by Carballone’s side is maintained after passing through the locker room, unlike Atletico who have a new rotation in the first half, like Giuliano instead of Baena, and whose mind is more on the break than on the game. Three almost consecutive attempts by the Oviedo team, which almost scored from two chances from Nacho Vidal and Viñas, made the staff realize that the match was not over yet.
Oviedo’s morale did not wane as the minutes ticked by, and Cazorla was left with a lot of regret after missing a perfect early goal to pull a goal back, prompting Simeone to put an end to Barrios and Julian’s holiday. Two moves that return control and calm to Atletico, combined with the young player’s management and the Argentine’s ability to create attack, such as Hanko’s pass to the umpteenth post in which Dani Calvo’s intervention prevented Nico from scoring. The field is once again red and white, and Luis Carrion seeks to burn the last of his cartridges, so the applauded Cazorla retires when he leaves the Park Metropolitano. A greeting opens the truce with which the match ends, except for a strong start from the break of Barrios, who helps Giuliano wonderfully, despite his collision with Scandil. The end of a calm night for Atletico, which continues the struggle for La Liga with its seventh victory in a row.