A hammer header from Sorloth broke the Getafe wall and gave Atlético the victory in a game of pick, shovel and a lot of sap to generate wear and tear on their entrenched rival. Simeone's team did not find the way to a goal and victory until after the hour mark. He first had to chew nettles to knock down a team that plays like few others at turning games into tactical checkerboards with complex solutions. For many minutes, Bordalás and his players hindered the red and whites. The difficulty of winning and the importance of the three points was portrayed by Simeone's jumps when the referee signaled the end of the match. Atlético has 11 consecutive victories in all competitions, is co-leader with Barcelona and is one point above Madrid. Next Saturday there will be a cockfight in Montjuïc in style and the leadership at stake.
1
Jan Oblak, José María Giménez, Clément Lenglet, Marcos Llorente (Nahuel Molina, min. 55), Javi Galán, Samuel Lino (Alexander Sørloth, min. 45), Rodrigo De Paul, Giuliano Simeone (Ángel Correa, min. 54), Pablo Barrios (Robin Le Normand, min. 85), Antoine Griezmann (Koke, min. 62) y Julián Alvarez
0
David Soria, Domingos Duarte, Omar Alderete (Juan Berrocal, min. 76), Allan Nyom, Juan Iglesias, Yellu Santiago (Álex Sola, min. 55), Djené Dakonam, Luis Milla, Coba da Costa (Bertug Yildirim, min. 76 ), Abdoulaye Keita (Christantus Uche, min. 54) and Álvaro Rodríguez (Peter Federico, min. 76)
Goals
1-0 min. 68: Sörloth
Referee César Soto Grado
yellow cards
Juan Iglesias (min. 68), Correa (min. 71), De Paul (min. 89), Koke (min. 91)
Atlético had to deal with Getafe's cement defensive system, which included Djené as a midfielder alongside Milla. A rival cemented under an intensive withdrawal that forced the red and whites to assume that they had a rough game to chew. With few concessions to run and fewer gaps to uncover in static attacks. As has happened lately, it was Giuliano Simeone who assumed the bugle call for the attack. The ball was flowing to Atlético in the first minutes. He was fluid and Giuliano acted as a hammer. Lino was forced to push it with a good direction when he hit the far post. The weak points of Getafe's team seemed to be in those crossed balls behind the backs of the full-backs. Nyom swallowed that pass and also another from De Paul that Lino also failed to score.
Those were the two clearest chances before Atlético got tangled and bogged down in Getafe's defensive tangle, as clever as ever in squeezing time on throw-ins and goal kicks in their favor. In attack, Bordalás' team relied on its team, Toro Álvaro, on loan from Real Madrid. The boy has skills, but his compatriot Giménez made him feel his logical lack of strength to face alone a defense with as many flight hours as Atlético's. It will be interesting when Álvaro can form a duo with the injured Borja Mayoral.
Time was running in favor of Getafe's settlement and against Simeone's footballers, who were beginning to be overcome by imprecision. Atlético seemed uncomfortable, as they were able to make very little progress against the concreted Getafe, which deactivated Julián Alvarez and Griezmann. It was with another ball crossed to the far post, slept on the chest by Giuliano and served on a plate for De Paul to score, which again highlighted where the solution to the match could lie. The Argentine midfielder botched his attempt to cross the ball gently. Giuliano himself could not direct a header well after a powerful cross from Galán.
Simeone understood that he had to use aerial shrapnel to knock down the Getafe dam and sat Lino down at half-time to introduce Sorloth. The Norwegian has been relegated by the Griezmann-Julián Alvarez partnership. He has assumed the role of a wishbone for locked matches like this and does not disappoint. He already solved the duel against Alavés and this one too. Simeone had returned to operate, oxygenating the entire right flank with Molina and Correa for Llorente and Giuliano. Even Griezmann went to the bench so that Koke could try to free Barrios and order and accelerate the touch game.
It was Molina who, with his best virtue, the running center, gave the keys to the game and glory to Sorloth. This turned Molina's tense and precise thread into a crossed and chopped hammer blow. The distance of the header gave greater value to the shot. And it also contributed to the paradoxical contrariety that haunts forwards who fail at the easy and succeed at the difficult.
With Getafe's wall broken, Simeone secured the loot with one last change. Le Normand reappeared in the League with the helmet that protects him from the head trauma that occurred in the last play of the derby against Real Madrid. The French center back no longer uses the helmet in non-contact training exercises, but he still needs to gain more confidence to play with his head exposed. So, taking refuge in the defense of three centre-backs, Atlético defended the goal that allowed them to look over their shoulders at Madrid and at Barça in the eyes.
