Rodrigo De Paul put in his best performance in an Atletico Madrid shirt but could do little to prevent his side from surrendering a two-goal lead in stoppage time.
A late collapse by Atletico Madrid saw them surrender a two-goal advantage to Valencia in stoppage time in a dramatic La Liga clash at the Mestalla.
Diego Simeone’s side went into the game, smarting from the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in midweek. Veteran striker Luis Suarez put them ahead in the 35th minute before the returning Stefan Savic put one into his own net after the break. A quickfire double from Antoine Griezmann and Sime Vrsaljko gave the defending champions a two-goal lead in the 60th minute.
The game looked to be done and dusted as it went into added time with the same scoreline. Valencia substitute Hugo Duro however, had other ideas. The 21-year-old struck not just once but twice in injury time to leave Atletico stunned and the home side ecstatic. The draw damaged Atletico’s chances of moving to the second spot in the La Liga standings.
It was a forgettable night for Simeone’s side, who also lost Kieran Trippier to injury. Atletico now trail league leaders Real Sociedad by five points but do have a game in hand. Not that it will matter if they continue to throw away the initiative regularly. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how the Atletico Madrid players fared on the night.
Jan Oblak (5/10)
The Slovenian is one of the best goalkeepers in world football and showed just that by denying Gonçalo Guedes and Yunus Musah. Could do little to prevent Duro from completing a comeback for the visitors. It remains debatable if he could have done better to prevent the 21-year-old’s 96th-minute leveller.
Stefan Savic (5/10)
The returning Serbian looked solid and impenetrable in the first half. All of that disappeared when he put the ball into his own net in the 50th minute. Oblak palmed away the ball that struck the defender in his stomach and rolled into the net. Rather unfortunate, but it did appear to impact his confidence somewhat.
3 – No player has scored more own goals in #LaLiga than Stefan Savic ?? since 2017/18 season (three, level with Mario Hermoso & Paulo Oliveira). Unlucky#ValenciaAtleti #ValenciaAtlético pic.twitter.com/HNzgr9umMj
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 7, 2021
Jose Gimenez (6/10)
The Uruguayan was mostly solid on the night. He made a poor pass that saw Goncalo Guedes put through on goal in the first half. Thankfully Oblak was alert to the danger and saved his teammate’s blushes. Gimenez also made several clearances and did not do much wrong.
Mario Hermoso (6/10)
Another player who started off well and enjoyed a good first half. Hermoso tried to get involved at the other end and sent an attempt off target in the first half.
Kieran Trippier (N/A)
The English international lasted just eight minutes before a coming-together with Helder Costa saw him land awkwardly on his left shoulder. Replaced soon by Vrsaljko.
Yannick Carrasco (5/10)
The Belgian spent his time largely out wide and gave Dimitri Foulquier some trouble with his direct running. He, however, lacked the end product and wasn’t as intelligent when it came to making the kill.
Rodrigo de Paul (8/10)
The Argentine enjoyed arguably his best game for the club since joining them in the summer. He was everywhere and stepped up, whether it be in attack or even defence. He was taken off late on for Joao Felix as Atletico looked to see the match out. Given De Paul’s mercurial presence on the field, it is debatable if the visitors could have held their shape better had he stayed on.
De Paul ? pic.twitter.com/C1xsyVtVUt
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) November 7, 2021
Koke (5/10)
Solid if not spectacular from the Atletico Madrid skipper. He was diligent as always and showed more intent to support the attack on the night. Lacked the cutting edge to make the difference, however.
Angel Correa (7/10)
He grabbed his second assist in as many La Liga matches after putting Luis Suarez through for Atletico’s opener. A performance filled with intent, he also forced Jasper Cillessen into a smart save. The former Valencia man was thoroughly jeered when he was taken off for Geoffrey Kondogbia in the 73rd minute.
Antoine Griezmann (7/10)
The Frenchman returned to the lineup after being forced to sit out the trip to Anfield. Enjoyed a quiet start and did not get going until the half-hour mark. Griezmann linked up well with Correa to create Suarez’s opener. He missed a glorious chance to put his side two goals up after halftime before sizzling in a goal in the 58th minute.
The fantastic strike restored the visitors’ lead and handed them the initiative in the second half. He also played a role in the buildup to Atletico’s third. Ironically enough, Griezmann gave away a cheap free kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time that cost his side heavily.
Luis Suarez (7/10)
The Uruguayan veteran looked up for the challenge and put his side ahead with a trademark finish in the first half. He later combined well with Griezmann to put through Vrsaljko for his side’s third of the game.
14 – Luis Suárez ?? has scored 14 goals vs Valencia ? between all competitions, more than any other opponent in his career (@atletienglish , Liverpool, Barcelona & Uruguay). Stake#ValenciaAtleti #ValenciaAtletico pic.twitter.com/mCf96B1Ol5
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 7, 2021
Substitutes
Sime Vrsaljko (8/10)
The Croatian replaced Kieran Trippier early on and got stuck in from the beginning. He was solid at the back and scored his side’s third of the game at the hour mark. He earned himself a yellow for tripping Foulquier on the right in stoppage time.
Geoffrey Kondogbia (4.5/10)
He came on for Correa in the 73rd minute but failed to offer the solidity required in midfield. He lost a key battle in the buildup to Valencia’s second and was largely disappointing.
Joao Felix (N/A)
The Portuguese sensation came on late for the impressive Rodrigo De Paul.
Hector Herrera (NA)
Came on late on for Luis Suarez. Had little to do in attack as Atletico sought to close out the game.
