Champions, Atletico Madrid-Manchester United 1-1: goals from Joao Felix and Elanga

Manchester United thanks Elanga who enters in the 75th minute and shortly after draws a match that Atletico Madrid had in hand and deserved to win (a goal, two bars and domination of the game for long stretches). Simeone eats his hands, the return to England after this 1-1 is more difficult.

athletic dominance

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The competitive fury of Atletico Madrid can be seen from the first seconds. Asphyxiating pressure, obsessive search for the ball, aggression in every area of ​​the pitch. In that vortex, Manchester United are lost immediately, their players seem to almost shrink in comparison with the wild opponents. It is therefore no coincidence that after 7 minutes Simeone’s team is in the lead: a cross from a corner by Renan Lodi and a header by Joao Felix, with the ball hitting the post and passing behind De Gea, nailed on the line of door. The reaction of the English is timid, the turn of the ball cutesy. From the few attacks, never really dangerous, United manages to squeeze only a couple of corners. Atletico raises and lowers the pressure at will and in the middle of the field Kondogbia suffocates Pogba, who when he does not lose balls wastes them with erratic or predictable plays. Cristiano Ronaldo is overwhelmed with boos and hit, in some cases, roughly. CR7 protests, asks for yellow cards, without however obtaining “justice” from the referee. In the last ten minutes Atletico Madrid created the basis for a doubling that would have been deserved, but which did not arrive because the header of Vrsaljko slammed into the crossbar, with the decisive deviation of Lindelof.

pogba is not there

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In the second half, a more aggressive and less passive Manchester than that seen in the first half is expected. Something can be seen, more in the combativeness than in the ideas. The game is heated up and the referee, who had waited for the first half to recover the first card, waved yellow cards repeatedly (four between 50 ‘and 65’). Rangnick changes three in one fell swoop: out of Pogba (annoyed, but also indefensible), Lindelof and Shaw, in Matic, Wan-Bissaka and Telles. Ronaldo, who had always scored in the Champions League this year when he was on the pitch, is never put in a position to hurt and when he has the opportunity to do so (on a free kick) he wastes badly. Atletico think they can hold up, but a mistake by Reinildo allows Manchester to equalize, with Elanga just entering the field (80 ‘). It is a mockery for Simeone, which could cost him dearly on his return to England. The second crossbar hit in the final by Griezmann only increases the manager’s regrets.