Three big points at San Mamés
Atlético de Madrid's great win at San Mamés in the match corresponding to LaLiga matchday 9.
A great match at San Mamés. Both teams offered just what was expected from the match between the third and fourth placed teams in LaLiga. Atlético de Madrid once again put in a very good performance and, this time, the result went their way.
Three points of courage and heart. Our team were superior in many stretches of the match and were able to hold on to the result when the home side pressed with the help of their fans. The match began to go Atlético de Madrid's way. Morata scored after ten minutes with Unai Simón's goal after a great individual move, but in the end the VAR disallowed the goal due to a previous foul by the Madrid striker on Yeray.
The match was intense from start to finish. Both teams fought for every ball and ran in transitions, each one faster and more vertical than the other. The Basque side tried to get forward especially through Nico Williams, who was stopped in all his dribbles and dribbles by Reinildo, who was outstanding on the day. Simeone's men closed the lines very well in defence, with Kondogbia stealing balls and helping the central defenders to recover and get the ball out.
Atlético de Madrid went into the break with a feeling of superiority, but with the score at 0-0. The story would practically change when the game resumed. One of the first moves by our team, in the 47th minute, ended with Griezmann caressing the ball into the back of the home goal after a pass from Álvaro Morata.
The game continued in a very similar vein to the first half, with no clear dominator, but with Atlético very well positioned on the pitch and giving the impression that they were not suffering too much. Jan Oblak had to retire after 67 minutes with a hard blow to his shoulder and Grbic, who came on to replace him, was to earn the congratulations of his teammates and fans thanks to several meritorious interventions.
The Croatian goalkeeper responded with a fine save from Raúl García. Reinildo was to be another of the protagonists at the end of the match. Our '23' blocked all the shots that were dangerous and, in one of them, the referee pointed out a penalty for handball. Finally the VAR clarified that the ball had hit the full-back's face.
The final whistle was blown with the feeling that it was much more than just three points. An always difficult opponent. A stadium that squeezes until the very end. And Atlético not only won, they also convinced. This victory leaves us ahead of the Basque side in the table and, now, it's time to think about another game at the Cívitas Metropolitano next Tuesday (9pm) against Rayo Vallecano.
