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Correa's magic was priceless once again for Atletico. The most different player that Simeone has, the short one who always has something to invent or plunder led a comeback to remember because Cádiz was 0-2 before the half hour of play. The feat again elevated Correa, who scored two goals and participated in another. They were neither Morata, sanctioned, nor Memphis, injured. So he played where he likes, close to the area, where his paddock wits really hurt.
ATMAtlético
3
Oblak, Mario Hermoso, Witsel, Azpilicueta (Javi Galán, min. 81), Koke (Giménez, min. 60), Saúl, Marcos Llorente (De Paul, min. 60), Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo Riquelme (Samuel Lino, min. 60), Correa and Griezmann
CAD Cadiz
2
Jeremias Ledesma, Jorge Meré (Maxi Gómez, min. 70), Zaldua (Iza, min. 62), Fali (Mamadou Mbaye, min. 34), Javi Hernández, Lucas Pires, Rubén Sobrino, Rubén Alcaraz (Iván Alejo, min. 45), Rominigue Kouame, Chris Ramos and Roger (Escalante, min. 45)
Goals 0-1 min. 11: Lucas Pires. 0-2 min. 27: Roger. 1-2 min. 31: Strap. 2-2 min. 46: Nahuel Molina. 3-2 min. 66: Strap.
Arbitrator Javier Iglesias Villanueva
Yellow cards Koke (min. 12), Roger (min. 39), Rubén Sobrino (min. 91) and Rominigue Kouame (min. 93)
His kind of play in small spaces, of unmarking and definitions of opportunistic buzzard was capital. His was a hymn to inventiveness and intelligence from his physical inferiority in front of central players who took two and three heads. There is not a player in the twelve years that Simeone has been a coach, who has more times taken the chestnuts out of the fire. Last night, once again.
It started nice to see Atletico. Dominator, with Azpilicueta being very clear that his adventures crossing the center of the field and dividing the frame of Cádiz could do damage. That's how it was. In his second drill in the opposite field there was a multiconnection to a touch in which Llorente, Correa of heel and again Griezmann participated to stamp his left-footed at the base of the post. The French attacker himself also understood that through the center corridors to the goal were discovered. Like a tunnel boring machine, he cleaned up two rivals and stood in front of Ledesma, but the Argentine goal narrowed him well at the start. It was a sparkling Atletico, with vertigo and bossy that was hit by a loss of Koke. The Cadiz had poison up and mounted a lethal sequence. The ball fell to Chris Ramos and to his center level to the second stick Lucas Pires went to rivet it after eating the back of Nahuel Molina.
Atletico is not used to being the one to give away. And even less to offer such a continuous second concession. A long, sharp strike from Ledesma was combed by Azpilicueta confident that Witsel or Oblak would get the ball. Neither one, nor the other. Yes Roger Martí, fine to score with a soft spoon above the Slovenian goal. With two goals against shortly before the first half hour, the epic called Atletico. And the rival did not invite optimism because of the order that Sergio's teams usually maintain and because there was a record that also extended the difficulty. Cádiz had not lost any of the last twenty-two matches in which it had advanced on the scoreboard.
The company led it and Correa culminated it with his mastery of the spaces and his unmarked mousetraps. In the first goal, he made two anthologies. The first move was to hurriedly hunt down a leaked pass from Koke that crashed into Ledesma's body. The continuity of the play fell on Saul and he opened Azpilicueta. The touched center of this opened another window to the picaresque of Correa who went to the gap between the two central to connect a soft, but chopped and damaging header that Ledesma could not reach. Lit the fuse, Cádiz resisted the break. Sergio understood that Atletico would continue its flood and operated in the intermission. He sat Alcaraz to put Escalante and Roger Martí, with a yellow, for Iván Alejo. Control, legs and counterpunch seemed to be Sergio's intention to try to stop the storm that was sweeping. There was no time for the changes to take shape. Again Correa stabbed a space in the area and gave him to leave another heel that planted Llorente in a hurry in front of Ledesma. He could barely put the toe the red-and-white midfielder, which where now does not reach him with the game, comes with the lungs. The rejection of his shot was burst by Nahuel Molina against Javi Hernández and the ball sneaked in. The shot was in a twisty way.
In the first minute of the resumption, Atletico had already equalized the score. He had all the second half to complete the comeback, but he did not entertain himself in resting. Griezmann sent Ledesma flying with a corner thread. Chris Ramos, head, unsettled Oblak, to warn that Cádiz was still in the game. Correa, however, took it upon himself to say that the night and the game were his by attacking again a space to push an excellent combination between Griezmann, Lino and Saúl. Correa's magic was epic.
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