SpainFor the second time in four days, Atletico lost 0-1 away when they were defeated by Mallorca with a penalty in round 31 of La Liga on April 9.
Center-back Reinildo’s error in the 66th minute caused Atlético suffered a seventh penalty in La Liga this season – the most since 2010-2011. They had to pay for the mistake when striker Vedat Muriqi beat Jan Oblak from 11m to bring the minimum victory for Mallorca. For the first time in 16 years Atletico lost both matches against newly promoted team in La Liga. They once suffered a 1-2 defeat in the first leg against Mallorca.
Muriqi’s successful penalty helped Mallorca win their seventh match in La Liga. Image: Marca
Atletico’s squad has the return of Luis Suarez, after the Uruguayan striker was sidelined in the defeat to Man City in the Champions League in the middle of the week. The away team soon took the lead and created the first opportunity to score in the fourth minute. Yannick Carrasco dribbled the ball on the left wing, then returned it to Marcos Llorente to finish at the edge of the penalty area. The ball went deep and tight, but missed the post.
Only holding the ball about 30% of the time, but Mallorca shot more and created more scoring opportunities. After Muriqi missed a close-range kick in the 18th minute, centre-back Brian Olivan shot up to volley from outside the penalty area, forcing Oblak interceptor flying.
Atletico play deadlock despite the coach Diego Simeone replaced two attacking players shortly after the break, Matheus Cunha for Antoine Griezmann, and Thomas Lemar for Koke. In the 55th minute, Lemar took a corner kick for Suarez to hit the top of the goal. But, under pressure from the opposing defender, Suarez’s header lacked power and was caught by the keeper.
Atletico is fourth in La Liga, with the same 57 points as Barca but playing two more games. Image: Marca
The host proved dangerous in the fixed ball phase. In the 63rd minute, Muriqi almost opened the scoring with a header that hit the post from a free kick from a teammate. Less than a minute later, Takefusa Kubo shot over the bar after receiving the ball from a throw-in. The Japanese star entered the field at the beginning of the second half, replacing Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in.
Thanks to increased pressure, Mallorca forced Altetico’s defense to make more mistakes. 68 minutes, Reinildo entered the ball from behind with Pablo Maffeo. Center-back Mallorca immediately fell and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Atletico suffered their seventh penalty from the start of the season, more than Real, Barca and Sevilla combined. Since the 2010-2011 season under coach Quique Sanchez Flores, Atletico’s defense has never received so many penalties in La Liga.
Coach Simeone launched Joao Felix and Renan Lodi in the middle of the second half. But, the away team’s attack is not brighter. Atletico created very few situations of settlement, when Mallorca always maintained a good distance from the squad. In the second half, nine minutes were not enough to help Atletico strikers score an equalizer. They received their first defeat after six consecutive wins. Mallorca broke the seven-game losing streak, temporarily climbing to 17th place with one point ahead of Cadiz.
Squad:
Mallorca: S. Rico; P. Maffeo, M. Valjent, A. Raillo, B. Oliván, J. Costa; A. Sanchez (Rodrigo 86′), I. Baba (Grenier 90′), D. Rodríguez; V. Muriqi, J. Lee (Kubo 54′)
Atlético: J. Oblak; R. Mandaba, Felipe (Lodi 75′), S. Savic; Y. Carrasco, R. De Paul, G. Kondogbia, , Koke (Lemar 46′), M. Llorente; A. Griezmann (Cunha 46′), L. Suarez (Felix 62′)
Vy Anh
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
