With a decisive goal from Antoine Griezmannwho started as a substitute Atlético de Madrid On matchday sixteen of LaLiga, they beat Valencia 2-1 at the Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday.
The Red and Whites took the lead thanks to Koke’s goal, but they had a shot blocked at the first attempt Lucas Beltran It meant a partial draw.
However, Griezmann seemed to prevent the giant’s collapse and channel the victory of the Rojiblanco team that had just won against PSV Eindhoven (3-2) on Tuesday, for the Champions League.
With this victory, Atlético has 34 points in the championship and is getting closer six behind leaders Barcelonawho also play their game of the day against Osasuna at the Camp Nou this Saturday.
In a fast-paced first half, the team almost surprised right from the start when Hugo Duro hit the crossbar with a shot after being left alone against the Slovenian goalkeeper. Jan Oblak, due to a fault on the back of the mattress.
Little by little, the teams led by Diego Simeone got the pulse of the duel until Koke appeared to score his first goal of the season from a corner. The Spanish international took advantage of Julen Agirrezabala’s rejection after a direct shot Nico González to put the first goal on the scoreboard.
After a corner, Pepelu quickly built a 1-1 lead. However, his goal was disallowed after review by VAR due to an offside position by Duro in the previous action.
After the restart, the visiting team continued to try until the reward came. Beltrán turned it into a work of art. Four touches of the ball (he was involved in two of them), a double strike and a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area for a striker who then tries to consolidate two discreet seasons at Fiorentina.
Until the French genius showed up. And with his left hand he determined the outcome and the game itself. “In the end, I’m there for whatever the team needs. The team came into the Champions League with a strong rhythm, it was difficult for us and the substitutes went looking and found that spark,” Griezamann told Movistar.
“He liked that (hands in the sky) when he scored the goal because I’m grateful for his talent. It’s an incredible goal: control, hitting, movement… As an eternal, differentiated player, we talk to him every day because he’s important in every part of the game he’s on the field and when he shows those performances it makes him stand out.” a deserved place, club legend, club goalscorer and absolute thanks to Antoine,” commented Diego Simeone, who answered further questions about Griezmann and Julián Álvarez at the press conference.
-Are you surprised at how well he took on the replacement role?
-I’m not surprised because cracks never cause problems. The real cracks. They don’t cause problems because they understand their place, they know that years have passed, they accept the role because it has a place in the squad and they do their best, as Antoine and Koke reflect today.
-What do you think about Julian’s game?
-Julián was like all the teammates who played in the game. I couldn’t make ten changes, I would have made more. He understood that Griezmann could do it for him in another position and Julián had a great game the other day. Today I saw him in the same row as his colleagues. There was no difference in the hour of play, linear, with a lower rhythm and it was noticeable.
Atlético del Cholo had several players from the national team, all of them low flyers. Nahuel Molina, Nico Gonzalez, Julián Alvarez (surprisingly replaced by Thiago Almada, three minutes before Beltrán’s goal) and Giuliano Simeone.
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