An extremely youthful Atlético Madrid gave manager Diego Simeone an unexpected gift for his 1,000th match as a manager, by beating Valencia CF 2-0 at a seething Mestalla.
Second-half goals from substitutes Iker Luque (20) and Miguel Llorente “Cubo” (18) sealed a famous win on the East Coast, which allowed many first team players to rest before Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg.
Here are Into the Calderón’s player ratings for this one.
Player Ratings
Juan Musso: Today’s starting captain
had very little to do, making it difficult to attribute any solid rating. Another clean sheet to his name will be greatly welcomed. 6
Nahuel Molina: When we signed Molina in the summer of 2022, there was a compilation video of his Udinese goals circulating on (then) Twitter. The majority thought we were acquiring a potent goal threat of a full-back who was going to be the cure to the Kieran Trippier virus going around. It’s fair to say we haven’t seen what we thought we would, but watching him play today as an unhinged wing-back with licence to unleash ballistic missiles and make defense-splitting runs, it’s easy to imagine what might have been.
Oh wait, the World Cup is on the horizon. Nevermind, it all makes sense now. 8
Javi Boñar: There was something brewing down the right side from earlier in the match, so it wasn’t a surprise that the opening goal came from a Boñar-Molina link up play on that flank. At the moment when Luque had the ball in the back of the net, Boñar was on the penalty spot, as if he were a striker ready to poach on any loose rebound. 7
Robin Le Normand: Tasked with taking on the towering Umar Sadiq in a man-to-man battle, I’m not confident in saying the Spaniard had a good game. However, his man didn’t manage to (legally) score, which has to indicate some success at least. In the many dead ball situations Atleti seemed to find themselves in, the ball would drop to Le Normand, who doesn’t exactly possess the feet needed to put the rushed chances away. 6
Clément Lenglet: A pretty tranquilo day at the back for the Frenchman, which hasn’t always been the case this season. He was made the designated outfield player allowed to speak to the referee, essentially confirming his vice-captaincy, showing once more that El Cholo actually likes the guy. 6
Julio Díaz: There was an obvious tactic in the first half to keep Díaz as tight to the touchline as possible and allow the midfielders to fill in the gaps at the back that appeared as a result. That worked well as a lot of the play ended up flowing through his wing, but it felt at times like his teammates were left slightly frustrated with his decision-making. Nonetheless, there are positive signs that he is developing on a path that could see him challenge Matteo Ruggeri in the left-back position in the years to come. 6
Rodrigo Mendoza: It’s already clear that the technical ability possessed by Mendoza is at the level of a LALIGA player and there’s no doubt of his position within this squad. Watching him play a role that spans three midfield lines only confirms this with his offensive contributions particularly standing out. There also seems to be an early hint of a leadership quality in him that comes out just as much in his play as it does in his body language and barked instructions. 7
Javi Morcillo: There was once another Javi with long curly hair who looked as if he was going to be the one to take Koke’s place as Atleti’s next rudder. But after loans abroad, Javi Serrano finds himself stuck in the B team at 23 years old. Morcillo signed from Sabadell in the summer with the expectation of playing alongside Serrano for Atlético Madrileño, but has now been involved in three LALIGA matches — this one his first start. It seemed he played nominally as a defensive midfielder, with the tendency to slot between the two center-backs to keep the play ticking over as Koke so often does. His shooting and long-range passing can definitely improve before he makes the leap to a higher level more consistently. 6
Obed Vargas: “Unselfish and understated” is how I would describe the Mexican today. Like many in the starting lineup, it seemed his goal was to keep things simple and not be the one at fault for any mistakes, which served him well. I’d be interested to understand where along the midfield he feels best, as the left-sided interior position didn’t 100% suit him. 6
Thiago Almada: Another wasted opportunity for Almada to play the protagonist today. He’ll argue that playing in a front two surrounded by B team players isn’t exactly the way to get the best out of him, but he continues to underwhelm in his debut season in Spain. 4
Rayane Belaid: To be asked to start at the Mestalla stadium in an unfamiliar position alongside teammates you don’t usually play your league football with is a tall order for anyone. That’s probably rational enough justification for a performance that was off the pace today, but the Moroccan picked up an invaluable hour in the first division nonetheless. 4
Substitutes
Iker Luque: A well taken goal from someone who came on the pitch with a fearless attitude was great to see. If it wasn’t for a great save, he’d have left Valencia with two to his name today. 7
Miguel Llorente “Cubo”: What a moment for the 18-year-old who was the “cleverest in the class” as they would say in Spain, playing to the whistle when the Valencia defence stopped completely. His finish was emphatic from a lovely reverse pass from Antoine Griezmann. 7
Koke: It wasn’t a coincidence that a minute after he and a certain Prince entered the field of play, the first goal was scored. Koke made an obvious gesture of taking the game by the scruff of the neck and setting it to his rhythm that ultimately led to a comfy 2-0 win. 8
Antoine Griezmann: Given an ovation by the Mestalla crowd as he came on, it was a special cameo from our talisman. The pass for Cubo was genius, following the way he brought the lofted pass under control. 8
Aleksa Purić: This guy has been monumental for Atlético Madrileño this season, so it was nice to see him get on the pitch, even if it was for all of 30 seconds. n/a
