Spanish champions Atletico Madrid fall to a surprise home loss to Mallorca to cede ground to rivals Real Madrid in the title race
If Mallorca fans dreamt of their club being mentioned in the same breath as Liverpool and AC Milan, then today is the day. Los Piratas became the latest team to beat Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano in recent weeks.
Takefusa Kubo’s injury-time strike condemned the defending La Liga champions to a shock loss and set their title defence further back. The defeat placed Atletico ten points off Real Madrid. Given that both sides will face off against each other on December 12, it was a missed opportunity for Diego Simeone’s men to close the gap.
The Colchoneros looked to be on their way to all three points when the impressive Matheus Cunha gave them the lead in the 68th minute. Franco Russo equalised for the visitors in the 80th minute before Takefusa Kubo, on loan from Real Madrid, broke Atletico hearts in injury time.
Atletico, to their credit, did well on the night and looked in control of the game until the 80th minute. But once again, what shifted the momentum was their inability to defend set-pieces. The Spanish giants have conceded eight times from dead-ball situations this season.
⏱ 94' | Atleti 1️⃣-2️⃣ Mallorca
⏹️ Final del partido.
?⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/xDMgFHoQWp
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) December 4, 2021
Atletico still have a game in hand over Real Madrid and face them next. Six points from both games should see them get within touching distance. However, it will matter for little when they keep dropping points, especially at home. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Atletico players fared on the night.
Jan Oblak: 5/10
The Slovenian is easily one of the best goalkeepers in world football and is often a reliable last line of defence for Atletico. He was largely up to the task on the night and made several saves, including a blinder from Lee Kang-in to keep the home side level in the first half.
He was let down badly by his defence who left him high and dry for both of Mallorca’s goals. It is debatable if Oblak could have done better to stop either strike. He was caught out for the first one and could have attempted to close down Kubo than stay rooted to the spot for the winner.
244 – Jon Oblak is the goalkeeper with the most appearances for Atlético de Madrid in LaLiga. Veteran. pic.twitter.com/7fiTSnnqai
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 4, 2021
Renan Lodi: 4/10
The Brazilian was more impressive going forward than at the back. He made some good runs in the first half but failed to make good crosses that threatened the opposition. Defensively he should have done much better and was often caught out of formation.
Felipe: 4.5/10
The Brazilian defender struggled initially but got into his groove as the game went on. He was threatening as usual at corners, but his biggest contribution of the night was conceding the free-kick that Mallorca equalised from.
Stefan Savic: 5/10
The Montenegrin was taken off with what looked to be a hamstring injury. Just how long he will be out for remains to be seen. His commanding presence was missed in the Atletico backline that looked shaky in his absence. With key games coming up, Simeone will be sweating on his defensive ace’s fitness.
Marcos Llorente: 5/10
The Spanish international made a few direct runs and played the ball well. While his intentions were right, the end product was missing. He should have done better to cut out the through ball to Kubo that led to Mallorca’s winner.
1. Koke receives the ball
2. Doesn't pass it to a free teammate
3. Instead, holds on to it long, until an opponent tries to challenge
4. Then shamelessly falls to the ground to draw a foulAlso, misplaced at least a 1000 passes this season itself https://t.co/IO9PYfjymz
— ᴀᴛʟᴇᴛɪᴄᴀɴ ?? (@Atletican1) December 4, 2021
Koke: 4/10
The skipper played a key role in setting up Atletico’s opener on the night. That was about the high watermark for his performance in the game. Koke, to his credit, was not short of effort, but a well-drilled Mallorca defence had his number all night.
Rodrigo De Paul: 3/10
The Argentine international looked lost for ideas and offered little on the pitch. Most of his passes were directed backwards rather than forwards. He was rightly pulled for Joao Felix in the 60th minute.
Geoffrey Kondogbia: 4/10
The 28-year-old got stuck in and was not afraid to put his leg in all night. However, it always ended in him spectacularly winning the ball or giving away cheap fouls.
Angel Correa: 7/10
It was the Argentine’s 300th appearance for the club on the night. He put in an excellent performance and was among Atletico’s best players on the night. He started well and was actively involved in the attack before going amiss for a while. He then turned up in the 68th minute to assist Cunha for the home side’s opener.
300 – Ángel Correa is the 30th player to reach the 300 appearances for Atlético de Madrid in all competitions ever. Milestone. pic.twitter.com/OxAaiWchVR
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 4, 2021
Antoine Griezmann: 5/10
The World Cup-winning Frenchman dropped back into midfield to receive the ball and did cause the Mallorca defence some problems. However, he lacked the killer instinct and could not provide the killing blow.
Matheus Cunha: 7/10
The 22-year-old was impressive on the night and continued to showcase his ability to lead the line. He made a few good runs and drew in cynical fouls for his troubles. He was on hand to slot home his side’s opener in a predatory fashion. Cunha was easily Atletico’s best player on the night.
56 – Atlético's Matheus Cunha has scored for each 56 minutes played in this LaLiga season, the best average for a player this term in this competition. Profitability. pic.twitter.com/H2uiSeMmFC
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 4, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Mario Hermoso: 4/10
Hermoso replaced the injured Savic in the first half but struggled to replace the his leadership or reading of the game. He was primarily responsible for poorly marking Russo, who headed home Mallorca’s equaliser in the 80th minute.
Joao Felix: 5/10
While he was certainly an improvement over De Paul, it was not much considering the Argentine was dreadful on the night. Felix had a golden opportunity to salvage a point late in the game but failed to convert it.
Thomas Lemar: 5/10
Lemar replaced Griezmann in the second half, won a free-kick and fashioned a chance for Cunha. While he did show fight and was ready to run at the opposition defence, a lack of end product saw much go to waste.
Luis Suarez: 3/10
Suarez replaced Correa in the 71st minute but never got going. Age is certainly catching up with the Uruguayan veteran.
Sime Vrsaljko: 4/10
Vrsaljko replaced Cunha for the last 20 minutes of the game. He failed to keep the ball moving and was largely indecisive when in possession.
