draw

A brilliant Luka Romero punished the exercise of false superiority that Atlético displayed once morest the bottom team. The 2-2 tie is a setback in the tense race for a place in the Champions League in which Simeone and his players are immersed. Last night a team that knew it had been relegated rose to the occasion with pride and good play. Morata and Melero had the victory for their teams in the last play. The draw does more damage to Atlético than to Almería. Five points out of the last 24 justify the withdrawal of the colchoneros from the fight for the title.

2

Luis Maximiano, Aleksandar Radovanovic (Chumi, min. 69), Marc Pubill, Bruno Langa, Edgar González, Jonathan Viera (Gonzalo Melero, min. 78), Lucas Robertone (Dion Lopy, min. 82), Embarba, Luka Romero (Sergio Arribas, min. 69), Iddrisu Baba and Lozano (Leo Baptistao, min. 78)

2

Oblak, Savic, Gabriel Paulista, Reinildo Mandava, Pablo Barrios Rivas, Koke (Marcos Llorente, min. 45), De Paul (Witsel, min. 81), Nahuel Molina, Samuel Lino (Rodrigo Riquelme, min. 45), Depay ( Morata, min. 69) and Correa (Saúl, min. 69)

Goals 0-1 min. 1: Strap. 1-1 min. 27: Luka Romero. 1-2 min. 56: From Paul. 2-2 min. 64: Luka Romero.

Referee Javier Alberola Rojas

Yellow cards Reinildo Mandava (min. 39) and Embarba (min. 93)

It seemed that Atlético was going to enjoy a massage match when Reinildo decided to redeem himself before the first two minutes were up. Highly noted for the two errors that forced his team to overcome a goal in the Cup once morest Athletic and another in the Champions League once morest Inter, the Mozambican started with a tunnel to Pubill and raised his head to put a center at mid-height that Correa impaled at pleasure. Reinildo, who had been impressed by his forcefulness and energy in his first games following a year out of service due to a serious knee injury, has not had a good day. The play vindicated that offensive facet that he says he has when he is full of confidence.

The goal meant starting all the land that was in between the fourth place and the bottom team. Barrios missed a control that placed him hand in hand with Maximiano and Memphis missed a right cross by a couple of inches. Atlético had no rival until he himself helped it grow. Simeone’s players got into those dangerous situations of liking each other more than playing well. They began by messing up clear plays in the midfield and reproducing delicate losses, like one by Barrios who activated Choco Lozano for the first time. He also won an aerial duel in the area to head in the center.

The pair of warnings ended up raising a team that has good players with flight hours like Embarba or Jonathan Viera, a winter signing that will be part of the attempt to recover the category if it is finally consummated. Players determined to defend that their game can still belong to the category. Also in the last transfer window, the once precocious Luka Romero landed at Almería on loan, who in 2020 became the youngest player to debut in the Spanish League with Mallorca, at 15 years and 219 days old. After trying at Lazio and this summer at Milan, the small Argentine attacker is now at an age to begin to confirm all the hype that accompanied him in his beginnings, including his recruitment years ago on a children’s reality television program in football.

He was boisterous and spicy, with that dribble typical of the short Percherons who carry the ball close to their boot. In this case the left. Romero appeared towards her to avoid a couple of defenders and project a bouncy and tight left foot that Oblak swallowed. It was one of those goals that raises the question of whether the best version of the Slovenian goalkeeper would have saved it.

The goal punished Atlético’s inability to display its superiority. Very flat and clumsy the trio of midfielders De Paul, Koke and Barrios, confused Lino, Memphis and Correa, were no longer able to control the game before the break. Simeone made two changes, which sounded more like displeasure than rotation, with a view to the cup event in Bilbao. Llorente for Koke and Riquelme for Lino. More lungs and more rhythm, and more finesse Simeone seemed to demand with that pair of relays. He achieved it and achieved it with a thirty-meter ride by De Paul that revealed Almería’s bottom position. The Argentine entered the area without any Almería player entering. Robertone and Radovanovic retreated without putting their foot in, and De Paul released a kick that entered following touching a rival defender.

Atlético barely had time to sustain the result as Simeone intended, with his team planted in the opposite field. Viera’s class launched the genius of Luka Romero into the area, who pulled on the outside of his boot to direct the ball to the nearest corner of a surprised Oblak. The tie forced Simeone to put a charge on Morata. This had two clear chances for a team that got confused and did not know how to impose its quality even when the game opened. Melero also had the last play to give him the first victory of the course.