Atlético Madrid successfully finished the last make-up game in LaLiga on Wednesday evening and is now just like the rest on 26 league matches. The team of trainer Diego Simeone made no mistake at home against Athletic Club, although the Spanish league captain again struggled to win three points: 2-1. Because of the victory, Atlético is now six points apart from the Barcelona of trainer Ronald Koeman: 62 to 56 points. The lead over fellow townsman and reigning champion Real Madrid is eight points: 54.
Athletic seemed to reach the half-time signal with a minimal lead, but in the extra time things went wrong for the Basques and the, especially psychologically important, 1-1 appeared on the scoreboard. Thomas Lemar was sent deep by Yannick Ferreira Carrasco and passed the ball just before the end line to Marcos Llorente. The versatile midfielder cum attacker headed the ball via Unai Núñez behind goalkeeper Unai Simón: 1-1. Simeone celebrated the goal as if it were the winner in the very last minute of the game.
Luisito Suarez! ?? He decorates the pingel himself and then shoots it in very cool himself ??#ZiggoSport #LaLiga #AtletiAthletic pic.twitter.com/T6EduMSz2z
– Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) March 10, 2021
A hard blow for the visitors, who had to deal with an enthusiastic Atlético from the start. Around the twentieth minute, Athletic only managed to offer more resistance, partly by narrowing the lines. Not much later, Marcelino’s team took the lead in the Wanda Metropolitano. Athletic played the ball well, then Iñaki Williams was launched from the right side of the penalty area. The attacker passed the ball low to the middle, where Stefan Savic could not reach the ball and Iker Muniain worked the leather with a strange effort behind the bewildered Jan Oblak.
Simeone’s team needed less than five minutes after the break to take the lead. Suárez was sent in by Llorente and eagerly went to the ground in the penalty area as he passed Núñez inside and the defender stuck out his heel in an attempt to stop the ball. The Uruguayan then sent Simón into the wrong corner from eleven meters: 2-1. It was again number 18 in 23 league matches el Pistolero this season. Two more than last season in 28 LaLiga games.
Atlético was immediately much better in the game and also had the prospect of a third goal. Ferreira Carrasco, however, hesitated for too long after a ball from Suárez and shot against Yeray Álvarez. Not much later, Dani García was able to block a bet from Koke in time and in the closing minutes a shot from Llorente missed the top corner at a hair. Atlético will come into action again on Saturday: then the regional derby at Getafe is on the program. Real Madrid will play at home against Elche on the same day, while Barcelona will play a home game against Huesca on Monday next week.
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