Atlético de Madrid and Girona faced each other in a high-voltage match at the Metropolitano . Diego Pablo Simeone 's men also made their debut in front of their fans in LaLiga after not going beyond a draw against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica . Míchel 's men, who have not yet been able to play at Montilivi , arrived with the hope of being able to get out of the Colchonero stronghold alive, something they were unable to achieve last season.
To prevent Girona from getting away with it, Cholo Simeone practiced throughout the week with a starting eleven that was finally confirmed an hour before the match. Oblak in goal alongside Robin Le Normand , Giménez and Azpilicueta in the line of three centre-backs. The Uruguayan was one of the new additions, coming in for Axel Witsel .
Rodrigo Riquelme and Marcos Llorente occupied the wing-backs, the former being another of Simeone 's changes when leaving Reinildo on the bench. The midfield would be made up of Rodrigo de Paul in place of Koke , alongside Pablo Barrios . And up front, Samuel Lino and Antoine Griezmann were the attacking midfielders who accompanied Julián Alvarez , who was the main offensive reference.
The "little prince" unblocked the game
Atlético de Madrid had a hard time getting into the game. Despite showing a good level of intensity when pressing, it was Girona who controlled possession as if it were the Montilivi pitch. Míchel 's men, with great personality, did not back down at any time against a Metropolitano that did not stop cheering throughout the match.
At times Simeone 's men seemed to be regaining control of the match, however, several inaccuracies when moving the ball prevented Girona from feeling very uncomfortable. However, it was the red-and-whites who had the first dangerous chances, starting with Samu Lino , who tested Gazzaniga on two occasions after plays "made in Lino ".
The Brazilian's flank was the one that was creating the most danger, leaving Marcos Llorente without great opportunities to create plays. The hydration break after half an hour came with a few scares for the visitors when Jan Oblak went over the bar. The Catalans are aware of the Slovenian's problems at altitude, so they tried to do damage with crosses.
Seven minutes into the first half, the most controversial play came with a handball by Gazzaniga outside the area which was given a yellow card by the referee. Both the Atlético de Madrid and the Metropolitano players were incredulous at what they saw. However, the anger would only last a few minutes, as Antoine Griezmann would convert the subsequent free kick with a great shot against the goalkeeper's post to make it 1-0 on the scoreboard.
With several kisses to the legitimate Atlético deMadrid badge, the Frenchman celebrated his first goal of the season to the congratulations of all his teammates. In the last minutes of the first half, Jan Oblak appeared on two occasions to stop Abel Ruiz 's shots without any major problems. The referee, after adding four minutes, blew the whistle for the way to the changing rooms with a Metropolitano euphoric about the result.
Marcos Llorente sentenced him
Diego Pablo Simeone decided to start with the same players who finished the first half, without changes. And it worked out well for the Argentine coach, because not even five minutes had passed when Atlético de Madrid scored the second of the night. It was Marcos Llorent who, after a magical pass from Antoine Griezmann , galloped through the Metropolitano until he made an impressive shot that Gazzaniga could not stop .
With the score at 2-0, Atlético de Madrid were already looking much more positive than they had in the first half. Girona did not lose their cool and tried to maintain the same style of play they had started the match with, but it was the Colchoneros who were more accurate in front of goal. To maintain their lead, Cholo decided to make the first changes of the match, bringing on Koke and debutant Gallagher , who came on in place of Riquelme and De Paul .
However, Girona continued to try to close the gap against an Atlético de Madrid that waited for the counterattack to definitively finish the match. Meanwhile, Reinildo came on to the field in place of Lino to have fresh legs in defence. The Catalans began to press, but were unable to break through Jan Oblak 's goal, who was really sure of stopping every shot.
However, the match was starting to seem long for the Atlético fans at the Metropolitano as they saw that their team was unable to regain absolute control. Luckily for them, the scoreboard changed one last time in the final stretch of the match thanks to a goal from Koke . A great play by Pablo Barrios, Marcos Llorente and Sorloth allowed the captain to put an end to the match.