Ratings: Atlético sail past Elche, into the Copa del Rey quarterfinals

Atlético Madrid waltzed into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey with a well-rounded 4-0 victory over a desolate Elche CF. The hosts, who are fighting for a place back in La Liga, walked out to a fiery atmosphere from their fans, but all flames were put out early on by Diego Simeone’s side.

Alexander Sørloth put Atleti ahead within 10 minutes and then doubled the lead from the spot with half an hour on the clock. Second-half goals from Rodrigo Riquelme and Julian Álvarez sealed a record-extending 15th straight win for Los Colchoneros.

Player Ratings

Juan Musso 7: A comfortable match showing us once again that Atleti has a safe pair of hands between the posts should Jan Oblak not be available.

Marcos Llorente (subbed off 73′) 6: Nothing too much to report about the ever-reliable Marquitos. Did all that was asked of him, with most of his efforts coming from a defensive point of view these days.

Axel Witsel 8: Nothing got past the veteran midfielder-turned-defender tonight, showing all of his experience to make it appear as if Elche were playing without any strikers at all.

Robin Le Normand 7: As well as a defensive performance that we are all too used to seeing, the naturalised Spaniard entertained us with a piece of fancy footwork to work his way out of a tricky situation in the first half.

Cesar Azpilicueta 8: For a defender of 35 years of age who hasn’t played 90 minutes since the 24th of November, asked to play in three different positions across the back line, Azpi put in one heck of a shift.

Rodrigo Riquelme (73′) 7: Finally broke his season’s scoring deadlock with a great goal from the best part of 30 yards. Took advantage of being given minutes and played a solid match as a left wing-back and then as a second striker.

Photo by Francisco Macia/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Immediately 8: Captain fantastic popped up in the starting lineup for the first time since 6th December and put on a midfield masterclass for those lucky enough to witness it inside the Estadio Martínez Valero.

Conor Gallagher (65′) 7: Enjoyed a rare appearance in the center of midfield, forming an understanding partnership with Koke where they alternated who pressed and who sat. Subbed off to a chorus of that chant from the traveling fans.

Samuel Lino (60′) 6: Started as an inside midfielder with licence to join the forwards. As the course of the game became apparent, Lino had more defensive duties to carry out, limiting his time up top.

Angel Correa 7: A typical Correa performance that had him combining well with teammates, chasing down every loose ball, finding himself in good positions but (still) lacking the finish to ice the cake.

Alexander Sørloth (45′) 8: The big Norwegian treated us to a bit of hammer time scoring his ninth and tenth goals of the season, his first goals outside of La Liga. The first was well taken with weak foot and the second blunt penalty smashed down the middle.

Subs

Nahuel Molina (subbed on 45′) 7: A low-key but important second half from the Argentine who, despite his critics, has barely put a foot wrong in the past few months.

Rodrigo De Paul (60′) 6: Brought on to rub salt in the already exposed wounds of Elche. A kickabout with some friends in the park for El Motorcito tonight.

Reinildo (65′) 5: A player who we have become infrequent viewers of lately, the Mozambican played just shy of half an hour out on the left touchline. Simeone doing his best to give the whole squad a run out in this cup run.

Thomas Lemar (73′) 6: A sighting rarer than a kingfisher, the Frenchman came on to remind us that he still exists. Joking aside, it was nice to see him on the pitch again, and even had a shot well saved.

Julian Alvarez (73′) 7: La Araña continued his quest for this season’s Copa del Rey golden boot with a goal stabbed in following a parry from Atlético Madrid academy product, goalkeeper Miguel San Román. Álvarez now has four goals in the cup.