Atlético – Valladolid | Vitolo takes Atleti to the podium

“There is nothing less empty than an empty stadium”, which Galeano wrote and shouted that typhus in the Metropolitan, “I'm going to cheer you up from heaven”, to the third amphitheater, where Peiró, Capón, Jones, the boy Minchola, Antic, Picu's mother live. and the 71 members, 50 subscribers, who left these days. The players seemed alone when they jumped into the vastness of red chairs and yet so accompanied. Margarita's flowers were witness: Koke planted them there before the ball rolled. Afterwards, he would go to the bench stand. Cholo systole, rested. Diastole too, Saul. Two of the seven changes of an Atleti that supported Herrera, Llorente or João, introduced Lemar and Manu Sánchez. Sergio, from his shore, agreed. His starting idea did not differ. In his team he rotated to the goalkeeper. Nine changes, only Míchel and Guardiola repeated.

Similar plans, traced start. Valladolid's first ball, Waldo's whip from 30 meters and Oblak's miracle. Second for Atlético, Morata's chance. A give and take away from the last Atleti-Valladolid, sandpaper matches, as much as the latter came out to wait in their field for the former. But Trippier soon scratched a highway in his gang. In ten minutes, Atlético stood three times against Caro. The last one, João sent a high ball served by a heel by a Llorente who, from Anfield, has the power of Ronaldo and the dribble of Garrincha. He sat rivals in the area, he sat rivals in the corner, while João put his light on to try to clear Sergio's man forest. Lemar was the shadow. A Lemar without an audience like him: a desperate machine for losing balls. At least he saved the whistles.

Before the first hydration break, 29º degrees last night in Madrid, Waldo went back to stand before Oblak to put Simeone's heart in his throat: his crossed ball went out shaving the stick. Later, he missed a counter in which Herrera gave him a rude ball. Atleti went to the break, butting his head against Sergio's blackboard, insisting on the inside, blinded the Trippier track. The ball was rojiblanco but the danger against, all pucelano.

The game returned with two changes, Alcaraz and young Miguel for Valladolid, while the game got into the concrete mixer. Denser, rougher, with many breaks, less dizziness. As much as Lemar tried to push his heart rate up Lemar mode. In other words, a foul on Hervías on the edge of the penalty area. In other words, a 25-meter lash went outside before Carrasco took its place. Along with him, Koke.

Caro trembled a few times before Morata and saw the Cholo blood: Costa and Correa inside, João outside, his flashlight too. 20 minutes from the second half and not a shot on goal. Costa scored the goal in his first uncheck. But the assistant canceled it with his pennant. It was Cholo's turn to continue accumulating bumps and chewing stones. The audience was missing to shake moving their arms in a grinder. But there was Vitolo, last change. It was the decisive.

It all started in Thomas, with ten minutes to go: a thomashawk of Caro's redemption boot. It was short-lived. Corner. The ball ends at the far post, as if already looking for Vitolo's head. Caro shows the wound and sings, Olivas clears, but that ball had crossed the line. THE VAR saw it. It was up. The Atticus had sweated but was cutting down the forest. And he sleeps third, ahead of Sevilla. Six days after the restart of LaLiga, Vitolo put him on the podium. And with that so long before in the return to the Metropolitan. 1-0.