After a remarkable first half, but with a fateful night by Sorlothdenied in front of goal, Atlético fell to Lille. The French team was what Simeone’s team could not be, even if it was favored by one of those penalties that are in the heads of the referees who profess the New Testament arbitral. A handball by Koke, when the ball came from a rebound, was punished with a penalty. Previously, there was a handball from a Lille striker, in the dispute for a lob in the area, which should have canceled out that of the red-and-white captain. The referee did not even go to consult the VAR. The incident put the French team ahead after Atlético could only go into the break with a one-goal advantage when they were able to score two or three more goals.
1
Jan Oblak, Axel Witsel, José María Giménez, Javi Galán (Reinildo, min. 76), Nahuel Molina (Giuliano Simeone, min. 76), Koke, Rodrigo De Paul, Conor Gallagher (Samuel Lino, min. 76), Julián Alvarez , Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sørloth (Ángel Correa, min. 64)
3
Lucas Chevalier, Ousmane Touré (Bafodé Diakité, min. 45), Aïssa Mandi, Alexsandro Ribeiro, Ngal’ayel Mukau (Angel Gomes, min. 86), Benjamin André, Thomas Meunier, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Osame Sahraoui, min. 87), Rémy Cabella (Edon Zhegrova, min. 15) and Mohamed Bayo (Jonathan David, min. 64)
Goals
1-0 min. 7: Julián Álvarez. 1-1 min. 60: Edon Zhegrova. 1-2 min. 73: Jonathan David. 1-3 min. 88: Jonathan David
Referee Marco Guida
yellow cards
Javi Galán (min. 16), Ousmane Touré (min. 43), Meunier (min. 77), Giménez (min. 77), Witsel (min. 87)
Europe does not forgive concessions and Atlético made them with their lack of forcefulness in the area. He received excessive punishment with the final 1-3, but it is also true that his second half was not up to par with the first. This lack of success is a burden because when Lille tied At game time he no longer had the ability to react. The defeat now turns each of the five remaining games into a final to at least be able to be in the round of 16, played by the teams classified between ninth and twenty-fourth place.
After Lisbon’s defeat against Benfica (4-0) there was no room for speculation. Neither from the alignment nor from the proposal. The trident Griezmann, Julián Alvarez and Sorloth to the fore and a line of four at the back with sharp full-backs. With four defenders in the infirmary (Le Normand, Azpilicueta, Lenglet and Llorente) it was difficult for Simeone to form a defense of three centre-backs that he liked. It must have relieved him that Bruno Genésio left his two biggest threats, his scorer Jonathan David and winger Zhegrova, on the bench. Atlético’s start was devastating beyond a poor delivery on the first ball that led to a threatening transition from Lille. Afterwards, the French team was swallowed up by the red-and-white pressure and Griezmann’s intention to point the sting towards the backs of the centre-backs. Sorloth persisted with one of those fine balls and won it to stand against Chevalier. His attempted dive was a horror. The ball went out of bounds. It was the announcement of the bad night that awaited him. The antithesis of Julián Alvarez. The Argentine did not forgive the first time he had it. Overwhelmed by Griezmann’s pressure, Traoré became confident and in his attempt to play the ball for Chevalier he left it short. The Spider appeared there to overcome with a soft touch to save the Lille goalkeeper.
In eight minutes, Atlético completed its choral outing with Griezmann to clean and refine each attack that it had to galvanize. After his resignation from the French team, he seems determined to increase his influence on the game. Simeone has granted him the full freedom that the classic ten enjoyed. And a player emerges who enjoys playing on the right, left or in the middle to draw attacks and breaking passes. One of them, from the center circumference, was delicious. He gave Sorloth the advantage, who tried a Vaseline that Chevalier caught him without problems. The French goalkeeper left to remember a flight and a hand that was as aesthetic as it was impossible to save a header from Giménez. Atlético’s massive forgiveness ended up, of course, being certified by Sorloth. Griezmann again He put a candy on the Norwegian. This time, falling to the left, he drew a curve that Sorloth sent over the crossbar. Aware of the collapse that could lead to so much error, Simeone asked the stands to applaud his frustrated forward. Atlético needs Sorloth to regain confidence. He gave life to Lille, who benefited from Cabella’s injury because the skilled Zhegrova entered the scene.
The lack of success meant that Atlético went into the break with only one goal in their bag. An always disturbing advantage, conducive to a slump and any outburst to get the rival into the game. And so it happened. The presence of Simeone’s team in the opposite field diminished somewhat and Zhegrova invented a thread from outside the area that Oblak could not reach.
A blow from which Atlético was able to get up, but Griezmann could not direct his acrobatic shot on goal after a good cross from Galán. Then came the disputed penalty. David, who was already in the field, did not forgive. Nor did he do it when he took advantage of a loose ball that he hit bitten to finish off an Atlético that did not deserve that punishment.
