Atlético lost two points against Celta in a hard-fought, hard-fought match. Luis Suárez made a double that was about to give the victory to a rojiblanco team very diminished by losses. Ferreyra, almost in the final moments, leveled the game and broke the streak of eight straight wins for the Madrid team. Atlético, with many absences due to the pandemic, managed to turn the game around but Celta had quality in the final meters to get a point. Atlético takes eight out of their pursuers. Celta is the second team to get something positive out of Wanda Metropolitano.
The visiting team made an impeccable first half. He dominated the ball, the game, the rival … He was early on the scoreboard thanks to a good goal but he continued to play in the same way as at the beginning, pressing very high and managing the game perfectly. Denis, Brais, Mina, Aspas got together … and Atlético had no choice but to run after the ball and the Celta players. And when a rojiblanco recovered the ball, he always had a couple of opponents ready to do damage. Celta scored and it is true that he had no other options, but he kept the ball away from his area.
Atlético had to settle for getting the ball out with long shots for Saúl to look for the extension. Without Lemar or João Félix on the field, the leader did not have anyone to surprise, to put a pass that broke lines. The one who tried the most was Correa. Marcos Llorente, back lane, played very far from the rival area and there he is not so dangerous. Lodi, who started because of Lemar’s last-minute loss, was not fine for his band either. Celta had a minute left over, the last one. When it seemed that the game was heading to rest, the play that changed it came, entry by the band of Correa and low center for Luis Suárez to send him to the net. Perhaps it was the only arrival of Atlético, very disoriented by a black week in relation to casualties due to coronavirus, for whom the worst had already passed. The forwards are oblivious to everything. They live only to score, to push that ball that only they chase. When the Celta players saw Correa’s ball come out, they feared the worst. A forward like the Uruguayan gives you points, gets you out of trouble, out of bad times, out of distressing situations … Atlético came to rest alive, with their hope intact in the comeback.
El Cholo removed Felipe in the intermission and went on to play with a defense of four. It was evident that Felipe had to leave the game, always out of place and with a yellow card. Simeone understood the risk it was to have him on the field and Torreira came in his place, who played alongside Kondogbia in the middle, with Saúl and Koke on either side. Atleti turned the game around shortly after starting the second half. A perfect move, with Kondogbia opening to Lodi, who first enabled Luis Suárez to score on the site where he should be a 9. Atlético had had two chances and scored two goals. The Uruguayan does not need to give himself many runs or sacrifice a lot in defense. What you do is worth it: being in the right place at the right time.
The match was almost finished by Kondogbia shortly after when the midfielder ultimately saved an Aspas shot. Atlético did the most complicated and closed ranks when Celta squeezed the ball. So the leader did manage well, although the Vigo team put the restrained rojiblanca behind in trouble.
The outcome of the match was already something common in Atlético’s matches when the Madrid team has the score in favor, all together, without making mistakes and waiting to sentence the counter. Kondogbia and Torreira were a wall in the middle and each rojiblanco fought each ball as if it were the last of LaLiga. Atlético was aggressive, intense, determined not to give away anything to his rival. Giménez was able to make the third, but it was Celta who achieved the tie almost at the final moment. Coudet’s men took a point practically on the last play.
