Sparta Prague 0-6 Atletico Madrid Player Ratings as the Spanish giants slap six past Czech hosts

As Champions League football once again gets underway, Czech champions Sparta Prague welcomed the Spanish giants Atletico Madrid at the Epet ARENA. Whilst both sides have enjoyed a good run of form, their performances in Europe’s elite competition have been much different, with Atletico on the brink of making it into the top 10, while Sparta are languishing in the bottom spots. Thus, this showdown will carry significant value, for their future in the competition. 

All things considered, Atletico was expected to be the more dominant side, despite being the visiting side. However, the time and space that their players were allowed, was much more than what they anticipated. As such, the Spanish team’s players saw much more of the ball and were able to express themselves fully. Owing to their high possession, they were able to convert a wonderful freekick by Julian Alvarez and then a bit of fortune with Marcos Llorente’s cross-turned shot. 

On the other hand, the home side had much less to offer, and other than a few scrambles from hit-and-hope crosses, only partially posed a threat to the Atletico defense. The second half saw Atletico ramp up the pressure and begin taking liberties as they started to pile on the goals. Substitutes arrived and scored, then scored some more and Sparta Prague still had no answers. 

All in all, the game made for an exciting watch and was an entertaining spectacle for all parties except the home side and their growingly miserable supporters. The win sees Atletico Madrid join the top dogs at the top of the table in the Champions League, whilst the loss more than certainly dashes any hope that the Czech side may have had of qualifying for the next stage.

Sparta Prague Player Ratings vs Atletico Madrid 

Goalkeeper

Peter Vindahl Jensen: 5.5/10- Rather unlucky with a couple of the goals, but should have done better for the others. Despite a few good saves, had a torrid day overall which was not entirely his fault. 

Defenders

Martin Vitík: 5.5/10- Extremely poor on the night, lacking composure both defensively and in possession, often hoofing it up the field to no avail, despite having better options. Made a bad error to turn over possession which could well have resulted in a goal.

Filip Panák: 6/10- Had a long, arduous outing, one that unfortunately did not end well for him. Did well to put himself about in making tackles or trying to make a block, but ultimately was unable to do enough or inspire his backline, which completely fell apart in the second half. 

Mathias Ross: 6/10- Looked the most likely out of a hapless and desperate bunch in defense. Did not cover himself in glory either, but was firm in his tackles and helped retain what little possession could muster up on the night.

Midfielders

Tomáš Wiesner: 6/10- Seemed livelier in the first half but was unfortunately restricted to defensive duties in the second. Did not pull off anything of note and did not make any big mistakes either. 

Qazim Laci: 6.5/10- For all his passing range and tackles, Laci along with his midfield partner failed to pick up the Atletico players and left acres of space in the middle of the park. A grave error to say the least, and should have done much better on the night. 

Kaan Kairinen: 6.5- Was meant to be the creative spark of the team but on the night showed little composure or inventiveness to put his players through on goal or really trouble the Atletico defense at all. Left a lot of space in the middle by failing to close down players in time.

Matěj Ryneš: 5.5/10- Wasteful in possession and did not help cover his defenders either, often late to the scene or just not present at all. One of the poorest performances of the side on the night that looked beaten early on in the second half. 

Attackers

Lukáš Haraslín: 6.5/10- Unfortunately had an early night owing to a hamstring injury that had initially made him a doubt for the game. Seemed eager to get into the thick of things and make an impact in the big game. 

Albion Rrahmani: 5.5/10- Another poor performance from the talisman of the Czech team who seemingly disappeared and had one of the most anonymous performances out of any players on the pitch. Didn’t particularly do much to get involved either. 

Ermal Krasniqi: 6/10- Incredibly average and did not do anything to make an impact. Was easy to get by for the opposing fullback and overall failed to make any real contribution for his side, despite their troubles. 

Substitutes

Jakub Pešek: 6/10- Mostly anonymous performance, which saw him fail to register a shot or a dribble. Did not impress his manager either as he despite being a substitute got hooked off in the closing stages of the game.

Victor Olatunji: 6.5/10- Looked lively and actually gave the Atletico defenders something to do. Made a couple of darting runs and managed to get a shot off as well, possibly the only player that put in a shift all game.

Indrit Tuci: N/A

Markus Solbakken: N/A

David Pavelka: N/A

Manager

Lars Friis: 5/10- Showed tactical naivety and ineptitude in setting his side up without adequate cover of defensive ability. Despite the poor showing in the first half, made no changes and his side ended up capitulating even further. Got a stern reality check with this performance. 

Also Read: Leganes 0-3 Real Madrid: Player Ratings as Valverde and Vinicius star in a routine win for Los Blancos

Atletico Madrid Player Ratings vs Sparta Prague

Goalkeeper

Jan Oblak: 6.5/ 10- Calm, composed, and hardly had to do anything but come to collect the ball on a few occasions. Showed some good confidence under pressure with the ball at his feet and was very comfortable playing out from the back.

Defenders

Javi Galán: 6/10- Often wasteful and loose in possession, losing the ball on a number of occasions, either idling or failing to control the ball. Was strong in his duels and got the better of his opponent player a few times. Possibly the poorest out of a very strong Atletico side. 

Clément Lenglet: 7/10- An easy day at the office, all things considered, was calm and composed in possession and firm defensively whenever he needed to be. 

José María Giménez: 7/10- Did not have much to do except progress the ball whenever needed. Did so quite comfortably and hardly seemed ruffled defensively either. 

Marcos Llorente: 8/10- Up and down the flanks, playing as a right back on the night. Popped up in the middle of the park at times, which is from where he scored his rather fortuitous cross-turned goal. Made a few good darting runs to try and chip in a cross from the byline on occasion as well which yielded him an assist.

Midfielders

Giuliano Simeone: 7/10- Energetic and involved from the get-go, did a lot of good work on the right flank. At times interchanging with Llorente, Simeone found a lot of freedom to work his magic which resulted in an assist and nearly a goal of his own.  

Rodrigo de Paul: 7/10- Had the freedom to take his time on the ball as the opponent players seemingly forgot to press him, De Paul had a strong overall. Progressed the ball well, and calmed the play in the middle with relative ease. Got the itch to venture forward and was justified seeing that there was no opponent player to really oppose him. 

Pablo Barrios: 7/10- Busy, active, and confident in rotating possession and even linking the play from back to front. Incisive and slick with some of his dribbling, especially when he ventured forward, at times breaking into the box, backing himself to beat a man and deliver a cross. 

Conor Gallagher: 6.5/10- Playing off the left on the night, often venturing in-field owing to the massive gap in the middle of the park. Extremely accurate with his passing and jubilant with his movement, Gallagher did not shy away from his defensive duties either. 

Attackers

Julián Álvarez: 8/10- Scored a wonderful freekick to capitalize on the early running his side had done. Had won the free-kick after a good burst in the middle park, drifting past players with ease. Was decent in his distribution and link-up play with his strike partners as well, which yielded his second goal of the night.

Alexander Sørloth: 6.5/10- Lacked the killer instinct on the night, but still had a lot to offer with his hold-up play and linking the game in the final third. Had a part to play in the second goal and could have done slightly better with his chances. 

Substitutes

Antoine Griezmann: 7/10- Made instant impact off the bench, taking his chance well on his weak foot to find the far post bottom corner. Turned facilitator after that and progressed the play well after his goal, helping his side notch more in a very short span.

Angel Correa: 8/10- Found a quickfire brace shortly after coming on, a perfect impact of the bench. Did particularly well for his second goal, fending off numerous players before burying the ball into the bottom corner.

Koke: N/A

Samuel Lino: N/A

Rodrigo Riquelme: N/A

Manager

Diego Simeone: 8/10- Got a much easier challenge than he bargained for and did the right thing in piling on the pressure in the second half, which saw his side completely thrashing the opposition. Made good substitutions that inspired the game and notched a few goals themselves.

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