Atlético show their reliability ahead of the knockout stages of the Champions League

Simeone’s team does not resign itself to being second in their group. He clearly won against Monaco with goals from Koke and Griezmann and now crosses his fingers waiting for a ruling by Borussia Dortmund to be more authoritative in the round of 16

Fuente Cadena SER

Atlético certified their passage to the round of 16 with a win without shadows against Monaco in the Metropolitan Wanda. The Simeone team was always superior to the team of Thierry Henry, who lives one of his worst moments, as evidenced by his penultimate position in the French championship. Soon it was evident. In fact, before a minute and a half after the initial whistle, the rojiblancos went ahead with a shot from Koke that was deflected by a defender.

They could not do better things to the rojiblancos, who appeared before their fans with the absence of Diego Costa pending or not entering the operating room for his discomfort and, as Miguel Martín Talavera explained in Carousel, dissatisfied with his situation in the club. It was not his night, but that of the Angel Correa or Thomas Lemar, who had before them the opportunity to demonstrate their offensive contribution to the whole of Diego Pablo Simeone.

The answer arrived soon. First, in a great unmarking of the French whose final pass did not reach the Argentine. And then with a great play from Correa that broke the Monaco coming in from the left to serve a goal ball to Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman did not hesitate and placed the ball out of the reach of goalkeeper Benaglio to go up 2-0 to the scoreboard, make his fourth in this edition of the Champions League and reaffirm his candidacy for the Golden Ball.

It could not be more placid the meeting for the locals. The problem is that the marker gave him the classification but not his goal to pass as first group. For that it depended on a pinchazo of the Borussia Dortmund in this day before the Brujas in its stage or the following one in front of the Monaco at home.

Waiting for Falcao
The rojiblancos did not think about that condition for their future in their competition and went for more. You do not understand an Simeone Athletic that is unplugged. In front I had a rival with very few soccer arguments. Just some speed up, but little else. He had no chance to demonstrate other qualities or cause concern in the Slovenian goal Jan Oblak.

The match soon lost the incentives and there was only one: to see the Colombian Radamel Falcao, today substitute in the Monaco, before the team that he supplied with goals during two seasons. He left when five minutes had passed in the second half. Most of those attending the match remembered their goals in the Europa League final in Bucharest against Athletic.

As soon as he left the field, his team’s first chance came. He received a ball with his back to the goal and turned quickly to make a shot that Oblak stopped without problems. In less than a minute he had done more than all his companions in an hour.

Simeone showed that he did not give the game for livestock with the changes. One of them was to put Saul in the field by Correa. Time proved him right because Monaco had the opportunity to close the gap in a penalty by Savic’s hand – expelled by the second yellow – which missed Radamel Falcao. Oblak gave him a pat of consolation.

With ten in the field, and after the fright of the penalty, it was noticed the nerves to the rojiblanco set. In the end, the victory is worth to continue aspiring to pass as first. But that does not depend on him anymore