Griezmann and Memphis keep Atlético alive against a good Rayo | Soccer | Sports

With a 1-1 draw, desperate because the possibility of going to the Bernabéu this Sunday with the possibility of entering the fight for the League was moving away, Atlético found the saving goal in stoppage time in an action that underlined the importance of Griezmann. The Frenchman won an aerial ball in a jump at a clear disadvantage with his marker and curled in a cross that pushed a timely Memphis. A bit of a savior who defeated a good and competitive Rayo. In many areas Francisco’s team was better, sent off for angrily calling for a foul on Griezmann’s jumper. Atlético never felt comfortable. He found this goal because, just as he was not good at organizing the game, he had the patience and patience to make that winning play appear. Atlético had a bad time against a team that revealed why they scored a point against Madrid in Chamartín and another against Real in Anoeta. He made the reds and whites sweat.

It was Rayo who came into play earlier, and they did not lose face throughout the evening. With Aridane and Lejeune scoring the Raya, with the neat Óscar Valentín greasing the game and the sparkling Isi and Álvaro García threatening. Atlético did not feel comfortable, and they went from less to more in the first act. It was only when the pieces that made up a much-retouched eleven began to gel that he began to paint something into the game. Without Lino, Koke, De Paul and Griezmann, and without the injured Giménez and Morata, It’s a lineup that has led to a frayed start for the team. The presence of Vermeeren, the big winter acquisition, attracted attention. Simeone is not very inclined to offer express alternatives to the news. And even less for an 18 year old boy. He placed him in the right midfielder position. The boy established himself as a pivot, but Simeone did not dare to place him there. His right eye replacing Koke is Pablo Barrios. Vermeeren was seen confused in the hallway of eight. He combined recoveries and some good touches with actions with the ball that revealed his lack of concentration. Perhaps it is not advisable to dismiss such a young boy who has a lot to prove. And there’s no better way for an emerging talent to better express his game than by putting him in his natural place. His half-time change was a foregone conclusion.

Atlético was born from Barrios. First with its flights then with its distribution. He even allowed himself an arabesque, like a roulette, to clean up a game that ended with Correa going one-on-one against Dimitrievski. The Macedonian goalkeeper emerged victorious. It was the first warning of the red and whites. They embark on a more dominant stretch in which Riquelme begins to do damage and Memphis to invent. The Dutchman discovered Correa’s clearance which resulted in a goal disallowed for offside after the Argentine had Dimitrievski sit down by stepping on the ball and turning around. It was Reinildo, whose physical power injected an overdose of energy into the team, who opened the scoring. He captured a header in an acrobatic flight on a well-gloved side foul by Riquelme.

The Praetorian Guard

This goal, however, did not upset the well-established Rayo. It didn’t take long to make a good play, finished even better by Álvaro García, one of the best wingers in the championship. A knife, when it pulls diagonally. On the edge of the area, he prepares the ball with his right and blocks a cross shot with his left that Oblak fails to reach. The tie did justice to Rayo’s best start.

Simeone must not have liked the look of his team at all. Vermeeren’s much-touted change to make way for Molina was soon joined by the entries of Lino, De Paul, Griezmann and Koke. The Praetorian Guard to try to resolve a match that Rayo handled better. Francisco’s team was even better deployed. Álvaro García, with his heart in his mouth, resolved to put a sweet vaseline in Oblak’s hands.

The artillery deployed by Simeone barely produced an offensive game. Aridane and Lejeune are growing up. Only a prodigious maneuver from Barrios, a break and a running pass for Memphis broke down the Rayista blockade. VAR determined that the Dutchman was offside. The action at least served to agitate the stands and incite a final charge. A cross pass from Koke was won by Griezmann with this prodigious jump and his cross was met by Memphis to keep Atlético alive.

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