The Atlético players were puffing when the referee whistled the end of the game. Simeone’s team had removed all complexes at once. He had come back away from home and with a goal Julián Álvarezwho had not scored outside the Metropolitano since the first league game. Furthermore, with an unusual authority in foreign territory.
Everything seemed about to collapse with Pepi’s goal with five minutes left, which seemed endless. The match ended with PSV taking a corner that they failed to finish. In the Atlético players, joy was mixed with relief.
But none of that erases everything the good thing that Atlético did, that knew how to overcome a difficult start. The first minutes of the meeting conveyed more fear than hope. Driouech took advantage of his speed to catch the back of the defense red and white again and again. In one of those came PSV’s goal. Molina preferred to raise his hand to call offside rather than chase his winger and when he started running it was already too late. Driouech looked to his right, saw Til and gave him the ball to push the goal.
The scene was repeated several times and Only Driouech’s poor decision-making saved Atlético from conceding any more goals.. They seemed to play at a different speed, but little by little Simeone’s team balanced the game. And the best way to do it was with the ball.
He insisted on possession of the ball, despite his coach’s recommendations to hit a ball, and little by little he took control of the game. The current Atlético is very different from that of Simeone’s beginnings, who preferred to see the ball from afar. The first minutes seemed to agree with that primitive Simeone who was not interested in possession. Atlético had the ball, but they were a fragile team when they lost it, with a lot of space behind their defenders and in physical inferiority to PSV’s wingers, who were much faster.
But the ball heals everything and Barrios was fundamental in that task. In the game and in the shot. With Koke by his side, the youth player frees himself, reaches higher and dares to try. Two consecutive shots from Atlético’s number 8 warned PSV that their rival was not the vulnerable team they had seen in the first minutes.
Also Sorlothwho put his body at the disposal of his teammates so that they could send him the balls that were bothering the back areas. He lowered them and allowed them to continue playing. Furthermore, his presence at the top freed Julián Álvarez to do what he likes most, go down and participate in the game.
And where only PSV’s chances were seen, Atlético’s attacking plays began to be seen. The tie had healing power. Because it appeased PSV’s spirits, lifted Atlético and recovered Julián Álvarez. But the Argentine wouldn’t have had it so easy without the Sorloth’s bountywho gave him the ball to push just as Driouech had done with Til in the Dutch goal. And the goal would not have existed without Giuliano’s desire to go and steal a ball from Yarek after receiving a poisoned ball from his goalkeeper.
It was another game from then on. A meeting of which Atlético felt like the owneralthough the superiority did not become effective until Hancko scored a goal against nature. The Atlético centre-back had stayed in the area after a corner and pushed, with a skill typical of the best forwards, a ball that the PSV goalkeeper had left loose after a shot by Nahuel Molina.
The best remained for Atlético, the third goal that brought together the two best players of the match. Barrios He received a long ball with precise control, a perfect second touch to get ahead of the defender and a left-footed cross to the head of Sorloth, who gave no option to Kovar’s response, the Dutch goalkeeper.
Atlético did not then expect to end up asking for the hour, overwhelmed by the pressure from PSV, who had come out on top with Perisic and Pepi on the field. Obispo, who had entered the second half, had a chance to push it over the line, but he missed and Atlético breathed.
