Atlético de Madrid on Tuesday survived a stern test from Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise. Despite boasting two-thirds of the possession, Atlético struggled to create quality chances for the much
of the night against a disciplined five-man defense.
Julián Alvarez put Atleti ahead five minutes before halftime before Conor Gallagher extended the lead. A defensive lapse saw Ross Sykes cut the lead in half, but Marcos Llorente restored the two-goal advantage at the very end.
Here are Into the Calderón’s player ratings from this 3-1 win at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano:
Oblak (3) – Had a heart-in-mouth moment early on as he miscontrolled the ball and it nearly bounced behind him for an own goal. Needed to be more decisive on Sykes’ 80th-minute header from a free kick; looked like he was caught between challenging for the ball and staying on his line. Calmly saved Louis Patris’ point-blank header in second-half stoppage time.
Molina (4) – Made only his second start all season and his first since the win over Rayo Vallecano on Sept. 24. Immediately identified and exploited on the right for his defensive weakness; held up fairly well until picking up a yellow card for a rash challenge on winger Ousseynou Niang, and his missed header from the subsequent free kick led to USG’s first great chance through Promise David.
Le Normand (N/A) – Exited with a left knee injury midway through the first half following an awkward but inadvertent collision with Adem Zorgane while both players tried to control the ball. Big loss for Atlético — Le Normand had been enjoying his best form in over a year, while Josema Giménez becomes more likely to face overuse and subsequent injury.
Hancko (5) – Struggled to keep up with the speedy and physical Kevin Rodríguez, the visitors’ top scorer, who got behind Hancko multiple times in the first half. Made a stupid-good reverse pass that keyed the move for Gallagher’s 72nd-minute goal.
Ruggeri (2) – Kept his place following a solid display against Sevilla. Uncomfortable in defense and uncorked a succession of poor crosses with the ball. Lack of pace from his position makes overlapping and underlapping a unique challenge. Sykes beat him in the air on the free kick that let USG back into the game; Ruggeri had previously given away the free kick.
Koke (7) – Poor back pass to Jan Oblak left his goalkeeper exposed to the onrushing Rodríguez early in the second half, literally his only misstep in another quietly-sound performance; he completed every other one of his 68 passes in 61 minutes played.
Barrios (8) – Thrust back into the 11 immediately following his one-game injury absence; Diego Simeone really can’t do without him. Led the counterattack for the opening goal to cap a busy first half, where he was active at both ends in progressing play and breaking it up. Ended the night with a game-high 76 completed passes, five recoveries, and nine duels won. A titan.
Giuliano (7) – Targeted ruthlessly in the early stages as Niang gave him the run-around, taking advantage of his lack of natural defensive instincts. As Atlético slowly wrested control of the match, he used his own speed and strength to blow past Sykes and tee up Alvarez for the opener. Involved in many of the team’s best moves, that first touch must be refined but he only continues growing.
Baena (5) – Uneven performance. Created a handful of chances from that left midfield position he made his own at Villarreal, but his fit in an 11 with Antoine Griezmann in it is questionable.
Griezmann (5) – Starting for the third time in four Champions League games. Had a first-half stoppage-time strike ruled out (correctly) for offside, then found Álex Baena with a gorgeous long ball only for the Spaniard’s touch to let him down mere yards from goal. Not too involved otherwise.
Alvarez (6) – Dropped too deep to influence the play as Atlético struggled to make inroads against the visitors’ organized defense. More at home in transition, where Giuliano Simeone found him unmarked in the penalty area to slot home the opener on 40 minutes. Should have put the game to bed in the last two minutes but he had too much time to think and Kjell Scherpen stopped his 1v1 effort.
Giménez (7) – Replaced Robin Le Normand in the 24th minute. Largely terrific, winning six of his seven aerial duels and making three interceptions while completing 46 of his 47 passes.
Almada (4) – Replaced Baena in the 62nd minute. A few moments of class here and there, but crucially forced Scherpen into a save that left the ball for Llorente to blast in from close range.
Gallagher (7) – Replaced Koke in the 62nd minute. Looked eager to make an impact and so he did, thumping in Atlético’s second goal with a screaming right-footed shot that left Scherpen motionless.
Sørloth (5) – Replaced Griezmann in the 62nd minute. Had a half-decent penalty shout quickly after coming on and did a nice job driving the ball up the pitch on the counterattack.
Llorente (7) – Replaced Giuliano in the 88th minute. The right man at the right time to bury Atlético’s third goal with the game’s final kick, his third goal already of this Champions League campaign.
