A significant victory for Atlético de Madrid away from FC Barcelona and makes the clash against Real Madrid a real final for the red-and-white team. The colchoneros were unable to create any real chances, with Julián Álvarez being the great hero with his goal after the game was up. Jan Oblak had to step up as a saviour after making two great saves that prevented Celta de Vigo from taking the lead.
The Slovenian goalkeeper has started the season at a great level, beyond the criticism he received in the first match against Villarreal. He has already been able to keep a clean sheet in recent games, only conceding two goals in the league championship. At this rate, he will be a serious candidate to win the Zamora Trophy , which he has been lifting since the 2020-21 season.
The MVP
In a very poor match for Atlético de Madrid , Jan Oblak was once again the saviour , making two great saves that could have kept the red-and-white team alive. The first of them was on Iago Aspas just before the break, reaching a shot from the Galician that was close to one of the posts. The other was on Borja Iglesias just after returning from the break, saving a header from the striker just off the goal line.
It is true that he did not have much work to do during the match, with two teams that created very few clear chances on goal during the 90 minutes. He remained very secure against Celta Vigo 's attempts from outside the Atlético area, despite the fact that none of them were on target. Right now, he is the goalkeeper who has conceded the fewest goals in Spanish football, something that demonstrates the high level of defence this season.
The surprise
Riquelme knew that the minutes he would have after the break were a golden opportunity, as his place had been taken by Giuliano Simeone in the starting eleven. He came on with half an hour to go and did not hesitate to try to find Guaita's goal in a duel where Atlético de Madrid were unable to create chances, having one clear chance. However, he lacked more connection with Julián Alvarez , who would end up being the great hero of the red-and-whites with a goal at the end.
Needs improvement
Clearly, the main negative note had to do with Giuliano Simeone , who came into the starting line-up in Vigo, starting on the left flank in place of Samuel Lino. The Argentine player showed some difficulties, especially in the defensive aspect , suffering a lot from balls that looked for his back. In attack he did not end up generating danger, showing that he was out of his usual position and being substituted in the second half of the match.
Simeone's game
The Argentine coach did not want to focus on Sunday's derby and gave several players who have played a lot of roles back into the starting eleven. Koke started in midfield , while Antoine Griezmann returned to the starting eleven after resting in the match against Rayo Vallecano last Sunday. The big change was Giuliano Simeone as left extrem, although that trial did not convince him and forced him to make several changes.
Simeone tried to change the formation after the break, but his team also failed to create any dangerous chances at the opposition goal until the final minutes. Riquelme had the better of the Colchoneros, but his shot at the near post was cleared out for a corner by the Galician team's goalkeeper. When the match was set for 0-0, a great cross from Antoine Griezmann set up Julián Alvarez's goal.