10-man Atletico Madrid registered a last-gasp 2-1 win over Espanyol in La Liga, which strengthened their hold on the fourth spot in the table.
Atletico Madrid left it late against Espanyol with Yannick Carrasco’s brace eventually seeing them through and helping them earn three crucial points on Sunday. The Rojiblancos took the lead through the Belgian seven minutes into the second half, but Geoffrey Kondogbia’s sending off in the 71st minute came as a major setback.
The Catalan side equalised within three minutes of Kondogbia’s second yellow through a Raul de Tomas free-kick. A draw would have left Atletico in danger of missing out on a top-four finish. But Carrasco had it all covered as the Belgian scored in the 10th minute of injury time from the spot to give Atletico all three points on the day.
Here’s how each Atletico Madrid player performed in the encounter at Wanda Metropolitano.
Jan Oblak: 6/10
Oblak made some crucial saves in both halves to keep Atletico Madrid in the game. He could have done better to stop De Tomas from scoring. In all, he made four saves in the match.
Sami Vrsaljko: 5/10
Playing on the right of a three-man defence, Vrsaljko didn’t have the best of outings. The Croatian couldn’t win even a single duel in the match and was eventually taken off at halftime. He did play in four crosses but none found his teammates.
Stefan Savic: 5/10
The central defender had a below-average outing. He didn’t win any of his ground duels but was perfect aerially, winning all his battles in the air. He made two clearances but couldn’t complete even one successful tackle in the match. He was also booked for a foul on De Tomas.
Felipe: 6/10
Felipe was probably the best of the three Atletico centre-backs. He made three clearances, blocked a shot and completed two tackles. He also won three of his four ground duels but didn’t look quite comfortable on the ball at times.
Marcos Llorente: 6/10
Warrior. pic.twitter.com/vrxNaOjK7u
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 17, 2022
Llorente was quite busy on the right flank, being heavily involved in the attack before Kondogbia’s sending off. He completed 92% of his passes, played one key pass, sent in three crosses, and also took two shots on goal.
Koke: 6/10
Koke was strong defensively, shielding his defence ably but didn’t offer much going forward. He maintained possession but struggled to find space through Espanyol lines. He won four of his six ground duels and made two tackles as well. He also played a key pass while half of his six long balls found an Atletico teammate.
Geoffrey Kondogbia: 4/10
Kondogbia made things extremely difficult for his side when he was sent off in the 71st minute after picking up a second yellow. He was quite strong defensively till then, winning six duels, making two clearances and completing a tackle.
Thomas Lemar: 5/10
A muscle injury cut short Lemar’s time on the pitch as he was taken off at half-time. Up until then, he had sent in eight crosses, and both his long balls had found a teammate.
Thomas Lemar and João Félix were both substituted due to muscular problems. Both are awaiting medical tests, which will determine the extent of their injuries.
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 17, 2022
Renan Lodi: 6/10
Lodi grew into the game, connecting well with Carrasco on the left flank. Defensively, he made a clearance and a tackle. He also won two ground duels. He actively sent in crosses – four of them – but none found his teammates.
Angel Correa: 6/10
Correa was quite enterprising with his dribbling, completing all three of his take-on attempts. He was majorly stationed at the edge of the box and found himself in good positions, but didn’t do enough to affect the proceedings.
Joao Felix: 5/10
Felix, too, had to be taken off due to muscle injury. He missed a big chance in the first half, failing to connect properly after receiving Kondogbia’s long ball. He was subbed off at half-time for Carrasco.
Substitutes
Antoine Griezmann: 6/10
Griezmann came on for Lemar at half-time but didn’t make the sort of impact he would have liked to. Just 77% of his passes found his teammates and he couldn’t take even one shot on goal. We are used to seeing the Frenchman have much better days on the field. He did win the game-winning penalty for the Rojiblancos, however.
Matheus Cunha: 7/10
Cunha came on for Vrsaljko at half-time as Simeone was forced into making multiple changes due to injuries and also change his system. The forward assisted Atletico’s opening goal and took a shot as well. He won both his ground duels and was quite impressive aerially as well, winning three duels in the air.
Yannick Carrasco: 8/10
CARRASCO MAKES IT 2-1 IN STOPPAGE TIME!!!! pic.twitter.com/t7QN1oOB7j
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 17, 2022
Carrasco turned the match around for Atletico. He came on for Joao Felix after half-time and took charge. He took three shots on goal, two of which found the back of the net. The Belgian did well to convert from the spot in a pressure situation.
Reinildo Mandava: 6/10
Reinildo came on for Renan Lodi in the 58th minute and did well defensively. He made two interceptions, blocked a shot, and made a clearance. He also won both his ground duels to cap off a solid night.
Rodrigo De Paul: 6/10
De Paul came on in the 78th minute for Angel Correa. He ventured forward as Atletico looked for the winner even after going down to ten men. He provided two key passes in the process.
