Atlético shields the Metropolitano and looks at the leadership
Simeone’s men equal their best historical streak at home, 14 wins in a row, with a 2-1 win over Alavés
MADRID, 29 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid beat Deportivo Alavés (2-1) this Sunday on the eleventh day of LaLiga EA Sports, a solid victory for the rojiblancos to look at the leadership and equal their best streak at home, 14 consecutive wins at the Cívitas Metropolitano.
Diego Pablo Simeone’s team continue to grow in a campaign based on strength in front of their fans and a joyful and effective game. The danger from midfield upwards in Atlético gives their rivals a lot of work. Rodrigo Riquelme and Álvaro Morata each scored great goals in the first half, against an Alavés team that was very weak in both areas. They didn’t really step on Oblak’s until the last minutes, with Guevara’s 2-1 in stoppage time.
The party continues at the Metropolitano, where there are now 14 wins in a row, as Atlético already achieved from ‘Cholo’ at the Vicente Calderón between May 2012 and February 2013. The locals were little by little tilting the field towards the rival goal, surrounding the area, until in the 26th minute, Riquelme cut back Gorosabel and sent the ball into the net with the toe of his left foot.
Simeone’s men partly reduced their exits in a rush, but with Alavés unable to do anything useful with the ball, Molina, Griezmann and De Paul generated more than good leadership. On the brink of half-time, a center measured from very far from Koke found Morata and the forward extended his streak with quality.
Another cut and another great goal from an Atlético that remained comfortable in the second half. The defensive side knew how to contain an Alavés team that, despite the changes, did not have its first chance to score until the 84th minute. Hagi, one of those reinforcements, brushed against Oblak’s post, but the locals did not suffer in a low block, the rival was desperate until they made it 1-2 too late, in the 96th minute
Luis García’s men, who were coming off two good draws against Villarreal and Betis, looked for their moment in the final stretch, but ‘Cholo’ didn’t give anything away, with a team that maintained the intensity with Marcos Llorente coming on at half-time. The Spanish international gave his depth and generated what could have been the third of the night, from Antoine Griezmann, but the referee annulled it for a foul.
Simeone did not let his team relax, with the complicity of a crowd accustomed to seeing his team win: 14 in a row. Atlético kept the ball although they had a few seconds of suspense with the score at 2-1 and Alavés, struggling from so much running in tow, left the capital pending the relegation zone. The red and white team thus added 25 points, three behind the leadership shared by Real Madrid and Girona, but with one game less.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, 2 – DEPORTIVO ALAVÉS, 1. (2-0, at half-time).
–ALIGNMENTS.
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Molina (Azpilicueta, min.81), Savic, Witsel, Hermoso (Giménez, min.81), Riquelme; Saúl (Llorente, min.58), Koke, De Paul (Pablo Barrios, min.67); Griezmann; and Morata (Correa, min.67).
DEPORTIVO ALAVÉS: Sivera; Gorosabel, Abqar, Sedlar, Duarte; Blanco (Benavidez, min.84), Guevara, Guridi (Hagi, min.63), Sola (Javi López, rest), Rioja (Rebbach, min.63) and Samu Omorodion (Kike García, min.73).
–GOALS:
1 – 0, min.26, Riquelme.
2 – 0, min.45+1, Morata.
2 – 1, min.96, Guevara.
–REFEREE: Muñiz Ruiz (C. Gallego). He cautioned Llorente (min.71), Hermoso (min.73), Oblak (min.83) on behalf of Atlético. And Duarte (min.72) and Hagi (min.85) in Alavés.
–STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano, 50,009 spectators.