Atlético Madrid are through to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, thanks to a 1-0 win away to Deportivo La Coruña.
A sublime Antoine Griezmann free-kick was the only difference on the scoresheet, but Atleti were comfortably in charge against the team from the second division.
Into the Calderón rates the Atlético players for you from tonight’s match below.
Player Ratings
Juan Musso: Made a decent stop from a close-range header early on. Although it was aimed directly at him, Musso saved well nonetheless. Slightly
over-enthusiastic in his kicking, especially when the team is hanging on to a one-goal lead in stoppage time. Keeps his second clean sheet of the season, in his fourth match played. 5
Nahuel Molina: Misplaced passes and being caught on the hop were the themes of the night for Molina. It was his man who was allowed to sneak free and have a clear header on goal in the first half, showing his fragility even against a team from the second tier. 3
Marc Pubill: Such a big fan of the way this guy keeps himself on his feet when he defends. For a man standing at 1.93 metres, his stature never seems to waver or wobble; like the tallest tree in the forest, able to withstand storm after storm. His form is starting to attract some attention from outside of Spain, so don’t be surprised if there are teams from a certain league knocking on the door in the summer. 7
Dávid Hancko: Solidly held his lines today, continuing to forge a strong partnership with Pubill. Nothing much else to report from the Slovakian, who was wrongly named the first from his country to play in LALIGA by the commentator on the world feed for this match. 6
Matteo Ruggeri: Almost curled in a beauty with his weaker right foot on 15 minutes, only to see the shot hit the frame of the goal. Although quite a bit of Depor’s play came down his flank, Ruggeri put in a solid performance at left-back. A telling sign was that Hancko wasn’t needed to take his spot at any point. 6
Johnny Cardoso: Nice to see Cardoso get a full game under his belt in what has felt like an age since we last saw it. /checks notes/ This is the first full game he’s played for Atlético Madrid. He looks good in the deep sitting pivot role of a midfield three. 6
Marcos Llorente: Had the opportunity to take on some extra protagonismo from center midfield tonight. While his presence and influence on the game was definitely noticeable, his negative body language whenever his teammates made an error was as well. Went back over to the right side of the pitch once Giuliano was taken off. 5
Álex Baena: Once again frustrating to see him taken off before the hour. Worked himself and others into some nice positions, but the final product didn’t appear today for the Spaniard. 5
Giuliano Simeone: Sometimes Giuli leaves a lot to be desired in the way he carries the ball when there’s not so much space in front of him. Yes, his super strength is running in long, powerful bursts parallel to the touchline, but his technical ability when heading more inside can definitely improve. When defenders figure out how to show him in towards his left foot, Simeone only has a sideways pass to offer. 4
Julián Alvarez: Not a good sign that even against lower league opposition, la araña still looks off the pace. He continues to find himself in good positions, but his sharpness and precision in front of goal has tailed off massively. To think Alvarez was single-handedly winning these matches last season, and now looks a mere passenger. 3
Antoine Griezmann: Quite the performance we’re used to seeing from twilight-years Griezmann. I thought he was loose with his passes, maybe even acting too nonchalant. Then, as he presided over the ball on 61 minutes, his paint brush of a left foot produced a masterpiece of a free kick, stroking the ball into the top corner. He continues his fine form in the cup, notching his third goal in two matches this season. 6
Substitutes
Pablo Barrios: Pablito had a little run around, I suppose. Not really anything to note other than he just looks so at ease marshalling the pitch against this level of opposition. 6
Thiago Almada: I really hope Almada isn’t sold this transfer window. His work rate is akin to Ángel Correa and his technical ability far surpasses that of his Argentine compatriot. The way he weaves himself in and out of players is so impressive, and given time at the club, there’s no reason why he can’t have the sort of impact that Correa had. 6
Alexander Sørloth: The big man plodded about for a bit without much to shout about. Unable to capitalise on the 26 minutes he shared with Giuliano on the pitch, to continue their good run together. 4
José María Giménez: Jumped on to sure up the defence for the last six minutes plus stoppage time. There was no way anything was getting past a three-man defence of Josema, Pubill and Hancko. 5
