Atlético Madrid progressed into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League once again, after coming through 7-5 on aggregate against Tottenham Hotspur.
It was 3-2 to the North Londoners on the night of the second leg, and Atleti were made to work for their place in the last eight of Europe’s premier competition, but the result never really looked under threat.
Goals from Julián Alvarez and Dávid Hancko were enough to see off the resolute Lilywhites, but another three goals conceded will not go down
well with manager Diego Simeone when attention turns away from celebrating this tie.
Here are Into the Calderón’s player ratings for this one.
Player ratings
Juan Musso: If we’ve enjoyed San Jan for the best part of ten years, we can now enjoy San Juan — and I’m not talking about the Spanish bonfire festival in June. Musso was immense tonight, producing a number of top saves which kept the score down. One worth watching again and again was the outstretched right hand he used to tip Pedro Porro’s inventive shot around the post, but they were all good enough to confirm his position as the best back up goalkeeper in Europe (along with Liverpool’s Giorgi Marmadashvili of course). 8
Nahuel Molina: The unease felt when Marc Pubill was ruled out for rib discomfort before the match was well justified after that Molina display. Perhaps not as bad as some of his defensive teammates, but tough to give him any plaudits for his consistent haplessness at the back. Relieved to see the number 16 go up when Spurs were putting the pressure on in the second half. 4
Robin Le Normand: If Randal Kolo Muani is the opposition’s lone center forward and he drifts off Le Normand’s right shoulder to nod in a free header, it’s clear whose fault that is. Another unconvincing performance by the Spaniard, who must be worried about his hopes of going to the World Cup this summer. He had Musso to thank when he let Mathys Tel stroll past him and get a shot off, which at that point, would have made it 5-4 on aggregate. 3
Dávid Hancko: The only member of the starting back four with any credit to his name tonight, not least for his glancing header at the near post which put the tie beyond any doubt. He swept up the loose pieces and was monstrous in the air which kept the home onslaught to a manageable level. His block to deny a goal in the last minute meant Atleti avoided a nervy ending. 7
Matteo Ruggeri: He has his good games, he has his bad games. Today was firmly on the bad games list, over committing on Porro as he did in the first leg (this time with his new goalkeeper to thank) and slow with his attacking contributions. 3
Giuliano: I’m struggling to decide if it’s a thumbs up or down for cholito tonight, as he was key to winning those “fouls” that helped relieve pressure on his defense, but was responsible for a fair amount of losses of possession. The ball he gave away for Spurs’ second goal was pretty lamentable, being completely honest. 5
Marcos Llorente: The problem with Llorente playing so well against English teams is that one of them is going to slap €70 million down on the table for him and lure him away from Madrid. Luckily for Atleti, the amount of sun in the UK would never convince him to go there, plus the airspace over London would have him in a daily frenzy. One of the best first halves he’s had in an Atleti shirt, even when his teammates weren’t able to follow. 8
Johnny Cardoso: One for the crunching tackles and getting stuck in, just what we like to see from an Atleti defensive midfielder. Often referred to in the Spanish media as the next Tiago Mendes (not just because of the curly hair), and you can see why. However, unlike the Portuguese legend, Cardoso is still yet to convince on the ball; I often found myself shouting, “juega ya!” when he was slow to make a pass. 7
Ademola Lookman: An emotionally charged performance tonight on his return to London. Lookman looked electric in the first half, getting back to win possession and staying available high up on the left side of the pitch, but his start to the second 45 minutes warranted his substitution. Perhaps lucky not to be sent off after striking his outstretched palm into the chest of a Tottenham defender, letting his anger get the better of him. 6
Antoine Griezmann: I recently learnt the word “delectable” and was thinking of how I could fit it in to one of these pieces. Well, Griezmann is a delectable footballer, there you go. He ran the game, using Llorente and Julián as the cogs to the mechanism he constructs in full flow match after match. There was a notable slowing down after 60 minutes, age now a factor to consider when thinking how much football he play in one day, but it’s the right thing to have him on from the start in the Champions League. 8
Julián Alvarez: Another day, another Champions League goal for la araña, this time a fantastic finish into the top corner after being offered far too much space by the Spurs back line. The goal was the cherry on the top of a shot filled cake which saw efforts flying in of the Argentine’s boot time and again from all sorts of positions on the pitch. His close control and ability to accelerate past a defender by lifting the ball over their feet is something to marvel at. 9
Substitutes
Koke: A big sigh of relief when the captain came on to sure things up. The sting was taken out of the game and there was little to worry about after his introduction to the match. 7
Alexander Sørloth: Added a different dimension to proceedings as he always does, maybe could have been given the whole of the second half, but occupied the Spurs center backs in a way they didn’t have to worry about in the first period. 5
Nico González: I can barely remember seeing his face. n/a
Álex Baena: With noone ahead of him, Baena broke away in stoppage time, but unfortunately his run began way too deep and was easily chased down by Djed Spence before he was even in sight of goal. His only action of note after coming on in the 84th minute.
José María Giménez: The Uruguayan came on the pitch right at the end, conceded a penalty, and that was it. Impressive how he still pointed at the ball after not getting a sniff of it when his knee clattered into Xavi Simons in the penalty area. 3
