Atletico Madrid were condemned to a shock 1-0 defeat against relegation battlers RCD Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday.
Atletico Madrid came into the encounter with an eye on overtaking Barcelona and taking the second spot on the league table, albeit temporarily. But the Rojiblancos could not manage to get the better of RCD Mallorca and slipped down to fourth on the table, behind Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla.
Atletico Madrid started the match strongly and dominated the first half but could not find a breakthrough. But Mallorca came the closest to opening the scoring at the Iberostar Stadium. Vedat Muriqi latched on to a loose ball by Stefan Savic and fired a shot from 25 yards out in the very first minute of the encounter. But the ball missed the left post to go wide.
Mallorca made a few more chances in the second half and continued to put Atletico Madrid n the backfoot. In the quest to get the much-needed breakthrough, Diego Simeone brought on Joao Felix, but the Portuguese could not do much either.
Mallorca then took the lead through Muriqi’s spot-kick in the 68th minute after Reinildo Mandava brought Pablo Maffeo down in the box. Atletico Madrid could not find an equaliser, falling to their eighth defeat of the season, and second against Mallorca. Here’s how each Atletico Madrid player fared in the encounter.
? The words of Simeone after the Mallorca – Atleti pic.twitter.com/YArsWJ7UUX
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 9, 2022
Jan Oblak: 5/10
The Atletico Madrid shot-stopper was not forced into too many saves. He made a crucial stop to deny Brian Olivan in the second half but otherwise, there was not much he had to do. He could not do much to save Muriqi’s penalty that gave Mallorca the lead.
Stefan Savic: 6/10
Other than an early mistake to gift the hosts a chance, Savic was solid, making seven clearances, two interceptions and as many tackles. He was enterprising with his passing and ventured forward whenever the occasion presented itself.
Felipe: 6/10
Felipe looked assured as part of the back three and, along with Savic, kept multiple Mallorca attacks at bay. He did well to keep Muriqi in check throughout the encounter. Renan Lodi came on for him in the 75th minute as Atletico Madrid searched for an equaliser.
Reinildo Mandava: 5/10
Reinildo Mandava’s foul on Pablo Maffeo gifted Mallorca the penalty that Muriqi converted to handle his side a surprise win. Otherwise, Reinildo looked solid, making three clearances and five tackles in the match.
Marcos Llorente: 6/10
Llorente’s pace on the right flank helped Atletico progress into the opposition half, but he struggled to provide an end product. He popped up all through the right-wing, making crucial defensive interceptions along with starting attacking forays.
Rodrigo de Paul: 5/10
The Argentine midfielder did not have the best of matches in the middle of the park. While he was quick to shut down any Mallorca attacks, he could not quite provide any attacking impetus to his side. His passing left a lot to be desired as well.
Geoffrey Kondogbia: 5/10
Like both of his midfield partners, Kondogbia was solid in the middle of the park but could not create much from a position of advantage. He made two tackles and a clearance and was the only one of the midfield three who played all 90 minutes of the match.
Koke: 5/10
Koke was taken off at half-time but looked composed on ball and dominated the midfield during his time on the pitch. He played a key pass, along with making two tackles and a clearance.
Yannick Carrasco: 7/10
Carrasco was easily the best Atletico Madrid player on the pitch with his runs up and down the left flanks providing serious attacking impetus. His dribbling was perfect as all six of his attempts were successful. He also played two key passes and attempted six crosses.
Luis Suarez: 5/10
The veteran Uruguayan striker could not do much to help Atletico Madrid avoid the defeat. He looked isolated up front at times and managed just 22 touches of the ball during his stay on the pitch.
Antoine Griezmann: 5/10
Like his attacking partner, Griezmann too could not offer much, failing to test the Mallorca goalkeeper even from good positions. He was taken off at half-time for Matheus Cunha.
JUNTS. SOM. EL. ????????.#RCDMallorcaAtleti pic.twitter.com/0KjAm2T5ox
— Real Mallorca (@RCD_Mallorca) April 9, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Thomas Lemar: 5/10
Thomas Lemar came on for Koke at half-time as Simeone tried to add some flair to his side in search of the opener. He looked industrious and had three shots and a key pass top show for his efforts. But more often than not, Lemar failed to provide an end product.
Matheus Cunha: 4/10
Cunha came on for Griezmann at half-time but could not do much to change the game’s outcome. He worked hard after coming on, but with the rest of the squad struggling to get things going, he too fizzled out of the game.
Sime Vrsaljko: 5/10
The Croatian full-back showed some fight which Simeone’s side had been lacking all throughout the game. However, he could not offer much going forward for his side, who were desperately looking for an equaliser.
Joao Felix: 5/10
Felix came on for Suarez in the 62nd minute but did not offer anything which the Uruguayan was not. Felix had to drop deep at occasions to be involved in the encounter. He could not even take a single shot on goal.
Renan Lodi: 5/10
Lodi came on in the 75th minute and immediately tried to get Atletico Madrid on the front foot. He bombed up and down the left flank and even sent in two crosses. But none of it helped as Mallorca completed the double over the Rojiblancos.
