There are times when everything has to be done wrong for things to turn out right.. And so it happened in Atlético’s third goal. Griezmann converted a bad shot by Koke into an assistbut the Frenchman also finished badly and it was precisely that that allowed him to beat the Slovan goalkeeper.
So, In fits and starts, Atleti defeated the Slovak teama very inferior opponent, the second worst in the tournament, but who never ended up completely leaving the game. The apparent ease with which Simeone’s team took the lead did not help. He had not produced much attacking play even though Julián Álvarez put one on the scoreboard. The Argentine has tremendous ease in unraveling matches and finding angles for the opposing goal. He did it all in one with a shot from the corner of the area that the opposing squad looked for. Julián is one of the solutions that Atlético always finds to solve games. A footballer who seems to have been at Atlético all his life and who forms a magnificent partnership with Griezmann. Against Slovan they scored the team’s three goals between them to close the tenth consecutive victory in the three competitions.
Everything was going despite the Cholo’s excessive initial precautions, who returned to the defense of five, which at times was six, although the last games have shown him that he only needs four for his full-backs to be decisive in attack. It also influences that the chosen ones are Javi Galán and Marcos Llorente, who plays everything.
The second goal came from that right side through which Llorente enters. The quality of neighborhoods came together to send a ball to the right where the winger entered a little forcefully; Llorente’s faith to reach a ball that was not easy and put it in the area and Griezmann’s intelligence to beat a defender much taller than him in the header jump. He put his body in before the centre-back could put his head in and scored Atlético’s second. That of theoretical tranquility.
Tranquility may be what is most sought after, but it is overrated. Part of the appeal of Atlético’s games is the unpredictability. In the end he ends up winning, but you never know how he will get there. He even gave Slovan opportunities to bring some uncertainty to the scoreboard.
And not only for the goal, which came from a penalty of those that only the VAR can see. Lenglet touched Strelec from behind and the referee was notified by his video assistants to review it. Strelec himself scored from eleven meters.
Slovan’s threat became real with that goal. Although before and after he sent shots into the woods. The first, from Barseghyan, their best player, who led the Slovak champion to chain several arrivals into the area and a few good minutes to make Atlético a little uncomfortable. But Barseghyan left injured in the first half and with him Slovan’s options disappeared a little despite Strelec’s insistence.
But the joy after the goal did not last long. Griezmann appeared, as always, to score the third and decide a match that could only follow one path, that of the red and white victory.
Slovan, who have not yet scored points in the tournament, fulfilled their main objective, that of not being beaten by the Metropolitano. AND Atlético continues in its fight to get among the eight best in the competition to avoid a qualifying round, a couple of games in February that are good to refresh your legs.
Although at this pace it is not known if it is better to stop or continue. Especially when, like Atleti, even what they do wrong turns out well.