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The Elche colista, already a Second Division team, gave a bath of pride to Atletico. One point was enough for Simeone's team to certify their qualification for the next edition of the Champions League and the victory allowed them to maintain that second place that they dispute against Madrid. Neither one nor the other. An embarrassing first half and a second insufficient to overcome Fidel's goal.
ELCElche
1
Edgar, Clerc, Helibelton Palacios, Bigas (Lisandro Magallán, min. 83), Gumbau, John Chetauya, Lautaro Blanco (Pere Milla, min. 67), Tete Morente, Lucas Boyé (Ezequiel Ponce, min. 93), Fidel (Raúl Guti, min. 83) and Nteka (Josan, min. 67)
ATM Atlético
0
Ivo Grbic, Mario Hermoso (Reguilón, min. 60), Witsel, Giménez, Nahuel Molina, Koke (Carlos Martín, min. 82), De Paul (Pablo Barrios Rivas, min. 60), Carrasco, Lemar (Correa, min. 53), Griezmann and Morata
Goals 1-0 min. 41: Fidel.
Arbitrator Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz
Yellow cards Fidel (min. 29) and Lautaro Blanco (min. 35)
The same eleven that had signed a cluster of good matches appeared acarajado in the Martínez Valero. An Atlético modorro, who warned that he was in the field and beach for the ease with which they won the back of Carrasco and Nahuel Molina in the first two attacks of Elche. This time Simeone's screams did not serve as a sting. Their players fell into an unforgivable sufficiency for a team that intends to clean up its bad first part of the season by conquering the honor of second place. A cross from De Paul and a header from Morata that Edgar Badia saved was the only decent action from the mattresses.
Faced with that pasty Atlético, of cochinero trot and very far from the vibrant team that had made him the best team of the second round, Elche dedicated itself to another exercise of consolidation of Sebastian Beccacece's plan. With the team already relegated, the Argentine coach works the bases of the proposal with which he will try to recover the category next season. An idea of good ball handling, a lot of pressure and a lot of verticality on the wings. There, both his pair of wingers, Palacios and Lautaro Blanco, and that of the midfielders of the band, Morente and Fidel, were a headache for Atletico. From that bordered game, the threads of Lautaro Blanco and Tete Morente were candies that strangely Lucas Boyé did not take advantage of. The Argentine attacker, of remarkable aerial play, failed to hunt any of those tense and touched combas. Had he had an inspired day in the box, he could have torn Atletico's loose defensive system to shreds. The flaccidity exhibited by Simeone's team gave away that after the first half hour he had not committed a foul. The significant statistic did not change until the second part.
It was not from one of those lateral centers with hemlock the origin of the goal of Elche, but it did come from the side. A kick from Lautaro, protested that he executed it with one foot inside the field, patted Grbic back. The Croatian goalkeeper misjudged, who had the advantage to have gripped the ball with both hands. The ball fell to him to push it at pleasure in the second stick to Fidel, free of mark. Another unmistakable sign of that first half of field and beach of Atletico. Bad was Grbic, who corroborated the doubts he offers in the defense of the aerial balls. You see more qualities to Oblak's substitute under sticks than coming out of them to intercept centers. The question is whether this defect responds to the lack of matches or a defect to be polished.
Atletico went to the break with that goal against and the feeling that none of their unbalancing players poked their heads. Nothing from Griezmann, less from Carrasco and one more day a disappointing performance from Lemar. A pastiche of team in those first 45 minutes surpassed by another that already fell into the well of the Second Division not only played better. He also had more pride.
It was the kind of acting that unnerved Simeone, who doesn't usually overlook a lack of nerve and visceral football. The anger at half-time must have been monumental, because at least a more determined team emerged. Given the panorama of the first half, Simeone's solution was to put electricity and legs to shake his team. Barrios, Correa and Reguilón entered for the bland, Lemar, De Paul and Hermoso. With more vitality, the only two fine actions of Griezmann appeared, who put Carrasco and Morata hand in hand with Edgar Badía. The Belgian stumbled for wanting to adorn himself with a snail when he had Morata alone on his left. This, minutes later, failed to overcome the goal of Elche. It took time to execute and choose the definition. It wasn't Atletico's day. Yes of Elche, who could extend his advantage. Pere Millá arrived past a header in the second post and Lucas Boyé, with Grbic beaten, went past wanting to adjust a frank shot. Simeone's final charge included homegrown striker Carlos Martin. Nothing. The attempt at reaction was late and not very forceful.
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