Marbella vs Atletico Madrid Player Ratings: Atletico Madrid battle past a stern Marbella into the Round of 16 in the Copa Del Rey

Atletico Madrid are into the Round of 16 in the Copa Del Rey courtesy of a 1-0 away win against Marbella. The in-form La Liga side were pushed to their limit by an impressive Marbella side. The team from the third division didn’t give anything easily to Atletico and made them work hard. Greizmann was the hero for the visitors as he turned in a rebound from close range. Despite some late pressure from both sides, the scoreline did not change.

Atletico started the game with more possession as expected but Marbella had a promising chance on the break early on. It set the tone for the rest of the half as Atletico enjoyed nearly 75% of the ball in the first period. Antoine Griezmann was creating multiple chances for them early on. He released Simeone after a one-two. Simeone’s shot was deflected into his path and the French star slid it home past the goalkeeper.

Marbella had very few chances to react in the first half as they relied on set-pieces to create some openings. Their defensive shape was commendable however as they didn’t allow Atletico Madrid to swarm them over.

They put on a much-improved performance in the second half as they grew bold on the ball. Jose Callejon was involved in some good plays as they brought in Ohemeng and Soto to attack from the wider areas. It led to an open game and Gallagher almost doubled Ateltico’s advantage when he hit the post on a break.

A flurry of attacking substitutions from Simeone nearly bore fruit for the visitors as Sorloth and Correa went dangerously close to putting them 2-0 up. Correa missed a glaring chance in particular as he rounded up the keeper but couldn’t find a way past the white shirts on the goal line. Marbella put on a late onslaught as they kept attacking with crosses but Atletico held the fort.

This tie provided Atletico plenty of legroom to rotate their lineup. Even with the changes in swing, they made it to the Round of 16.They will wait to discover their opponents in the next round. They host Osasuna in the league next. Marbella exit the tournament and host Alcorcon in the third division next weekend.

Marbella Player Ratings vs Atletico Madrid

Goalkeeper

Daniel Martin: 6.5/10- Made a fine save to deny Alvarez from a clever short corner. He could only push Simeone’s shot towards Griezmann. Made a couple of key interventions later on.

Defenders

Marcos Olguin: 6/10- Tried to defend narrow and was brave on the ball in trying to play out from the back.

Aitor Punal: 6.5/10- The centre-back was dragged wide by the Atleti forwards and couldn’t get near the French forward as he put the visitors ahead.

Yacouba Magagi: 6/10- He had a great chance to score from a set piece but could barely Musso in goal. Got away with a huge mistake as De Paul scored after dispossessing him and it was ruled out for a handball.

Genar Fornes: 5/10- Fornes was given a tough time by Atletico’s right-hand side as they took turns to attack him and catch him out.

Midfielders

Ernest Ohemeng: 6.5/10- The winger tried to get forward whenever he could but found himself defending Javi Galan at times.

Javi Duarte: 6/10- Tried to pinch the ball away from Atletico’s midfield but they couldn’t press them into mistakes.

Luis Acosta: 6/10- Had a lot of neat and tidy passes along with some interceptions in the centre. But he couldn’t provide that attacking pass for them.

Alberto Soto: 6.5/10- Whipped in a fine cross for Hanza early in the game and kept asking the opposition some tough questions.

Attackers

Jose Callejon: 7/10- The veteran forward slid in a clever free-kick that Punol almost converted to restore parity. He had very little service in the forward line.

Dorian Hanza: 6.5/10- Hanza had a good chance to head them into the lead from a Soto cross but he couldn’t test Musso. He was shrugged aside in many duels by the opposition defence.

Substitutions

Marcos Pena: 6/10

Ryan Edwards: 6/10

Jorge Alvarez: N/A

Yuezheng Du: N/A

Bernardo: N/A

Manager

Fran Beltran: 6/10- Set up his team positively as he wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. His side had a solid performance but fell short in the final third as they lacked a cutting edge. Should not worry too much as they gave a great account of themselves on a key night.

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Atletico Madrid Player Ratings vs Marbella

Goalkeeper

Jaun Musso: 7/10- The Argentine keeper made some routine saves from crosses and impressed when he came out to quash Punal’s clever attempt from a free-kick.

Defenders

Nahuel Molina: 6.5/10- Put in a fairly defensive shift and had an attempt blocked from outside the box.

Robin Le Normand: 6.5/10- The defender used this game to build his match fitness after a horrific injury earlier in the season. A first near full 90 outing for him after many months saw him get used to the play slowly.

Clement Lenglet: 7/10- The French man saw a lot of the ball and started playing good long balls to switch the play and create openings. He wasn’t troubled much defensively.

Javi Galan: 7/10- He was always bombing forward when he had the chance. Had a rash shot on his left foot but he had made his intentions known.

Midfielders

Giuliano Simeone: 7.5/10- Played a fine one-two with Griezmann before getting the shot away that led to the opener. He was lively on that right-wing for them.

Pablo Barrios: 7/10- The youngster had another impactful outing in the middle of the park as he was tidy with the ball and pressed intelligently off it to press the opponents. Was replaced at halftime to save his legs.

Rodrigo de Paul: 7/10- Put in another all-energetic performance as he was running all game long. Had a goal disallowed for a handball and hit a super volley straight at the goalkeeper.

Conor Gallagher: 6.5/10- Starting the game on the left wing, Gallagher had some sloppy touches initially and was contesting a lot of duels. He had a curling effort that hit the woodwork and come back into play.

Attackers

Antoine Girezmann: 8/10- The French star still continues to shine the brightest for Atletico no matter the supporting cast. Was darting all over the field to create openings. Finished a rebound from Simeone’s shot after releasing him with a headed pass.

Julian Alvarez: 7/10- Had a good chance at the end of a short corner but forced a save from the keeper. Tried to go solo on the left once in an attempt to double their advantage.

Substitutes

Koke: 6/10

Alexander Sorloth: 7/10

Marcos Llorente: 6/10

Angel Correa: 6.5/10

Manager

Diego Simeone: 8/10- Rotated the team and got the job done without any major injuries. Will be glad to see his secondary options perform well. He will not say no to a trophy now that they are in the round of 16.

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