Atletico Madrid edged past Cadiz to move up in La Liga standings after goals from Joao Felix and Rodrigo De Paul were enough to secure three points.
Atletico Madrid were made to work hard by Cadiz before crossing the finish line and securing three points at the Wanda Metropolitano. Goals from Joao Felix and Rodrigo De Paul made the difference, with veteran striker Alvaro Negredo netting for the visitors.
Diego Simeone’s men had a dream start after Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledsema couldn’t control the ball and gifted Felix the opener, who made no mistake from close range. This was the fifth goal in as many games for the Portuguese forward as Atletico looked to seize control of the game.
The Rojiblancos could not get past the Cadiz defence as they looked to double their advantage. And just as they seemed destined to carry the lead into the break, Alvaro Negredo equalised with a header right before half-time. Atletico defender Reinildo was shown a red card around the time, only for VAR to overturn the decision and reverse it to a yellow card offence.
Rodrigo De Paul came up with the second goal for the home team in the second period from a rebound. Cadiz fought hard after going behind for the second time and even came close to scoring an equaliser, as Luis Hernandez’s effort was cleared off the line by Jose Maria Gimenez.
There was more drama late in the game as Javi Serrano was sent off with a straight red card for a violent challenge two minutes before full-time. The loss of a player did not cost Atletico, as the home side saw the game out and collected three points, while piling more pressure on Cadiz in their relegation battle. Here’s how the Atletico Madrid players fared in their win over Cadiz.
Jan Oblak – 5/10
Oblak had enjoyed a resurgent period in recent weeks, although his flaws were still evident as he conceded an untimely equaliser against Cadiz. He also looked shaky in his area when he came out to collect crosses.
Yannick Carrasco – 4.5/10
Carrasco put in yet another ineffective performance, as his decision-making throughout the game let him down. While he can be a threat to defences, his dribbling ability wasn’t put to good use on the night and his fortunes did not improve after he switched flanks in the second half.
Reinildo – 4/10
Reinildo was an aggressive outlet on the pitch and his playing style helped Atletico put a stop to dangerous Cadiz moves. However, he was at fault for Negredo’s equaliser on the cusp of half-time. Later, he was shown a straight red card for a studs-up tackle, which, luckily for him, was later reversed to a yellow by VAR.
Jose Gimenez – 6.5/10
Esto yo lo cuento como un gol más esta noche.
José María Giménez. pic.twitter.com/TI7OU4csOx
— Iván (@IvanBlanco_26) March 11, 2022
Gimenez proved solid at the back with timely interventions and challenges to keep the visitors at bay. There was an evident lack of communication at the back for Negredo’s goal. Apart from that moment, there were no visible problems. He also made a superb goal-line clearance to keep the scoreline intact in the second half, which should be celebrated like a goal scored.
Stefan Savic – 6/10
Atletico’s main distributor from the back, Savic proved a calming and composed presence at the back unlike his defensive partners, who were in an aggressive mood.
Marcos Llorente – 7/10
Llorente proved extremely effective in his role at right wing-back. The Spaniard constantly linked up well with his quick passing and energetic running down the right side. He also played a key part in De Paul’s goal in the second half, which eventually snatched all three points.
Rodrigo De Paul – 7/10
Rodrigo De Paul has scored his first La Liga goal for Atletico Madrid in their 2-1 win vs. Cádiz. pic.twitter.com/MqqItsDQCS
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) March 11, 2022
De Paul gets a higher rating because of the goal and its importance in the context of the game. His performance in midfield was far from convincing, considering he was erratic and did not get his passing going on the night. But he stepped up and won it for his team when it mattered.
Hector Herrera – 5.5/10
Herrera struggled against the Cadiz midfield as the Mexican struggled to get to grips with the intensity of the game. The aggressive side to his game was missing on the evening as he put in an underwhelming performance.
Koke – 4/10
It was a bad evening for Atletico Madrid captain Koke, as he could barely get any control in the midfield area. The Spaniard was also disappointing with his distribution as he chose to pass backwards more often than not.
Antoine Griezmann – 5.5/10
Griezmann had an average game against Cadiz and failed to really influence the game on the attacking front. While his off-the-ball movement was good, he had minimum impact on the outcome and registered zero shots.
Joao Felix – 7/10
5️⃣ goals in 5️⃣ games for Joao Felix ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/bmkp6sW6zu
— GOAL (@goal) March 11, 2022
Felix made yet another telling contribution, as he got an early goal to set the tone for his team on Friday night. He was not very influential after that, though. He did float around in dangerous areas regularly, but did not get a chance to add to his tally.
Substitutes
Renan Lodi – 5/10
Lodi came on to add more attacking spark, replacing the ineffective Koke.
Luis Suarez – 5/10
Coming on to replace Griezmann with 30 minutes left on the clock, Suarez made one key pass.
Angel Correa – 6/10
Correa was the best among the substitutes, as he brought an attacking spark to the game after coming on. It was his shot that Ledesma saved for De Paul to bury the subsequent rebound.
Javi Serrano – 2/10
Serrano came on in the 83rd minute and was shown a straight red card for a dangerous-looking tackle on Alex Fernandez.
Felipe – N/A
Not much time on the pitch after replacing Gimenez late on.
