Atletico vs Chelsea Giroud punishes Atletico’s approach
Atletico Madrid’s chance to progress in the league champion was beaten when they were beaten 1-0 Chelsea in the first leg of their last draw in Bucharest.
The effective hosts deployed a conservative game plan in the Romanian capital as they sat deep and plunged pressure Thomas Tuchelse kant.
It was Olivier Giroud which, however, made the difference with a brilliant winning goal to decide the match on the night.
Giroud’s winner is a thing of beauty, as is often the case with the French World Cup winner. With Atletico’s solid block, it took something special to earn Chelsea an away goal, with the bike kick one of the goals of the season in the Champions League so far.
After a disappointing recent series of results, Atletico did not impress again. Their defensive tactics almost did the job, but Simeone’s game plan was unraveled once Chelsea found a goal. This is a sign that their waterproof nature is declining at the back.
Kieran Trippier has been out for a few weeks now, but his suspension is still being felt by the Atletico team. Simeone has found no right-wing solution, and Marcos Llorente is the latest to try his hand in the position. The change in the Spaniard’s position did his game no good.
There was no disappointment from referee Felix Brych who handed out his first yellow card in the second minute of the match. Mason Mount gets a foul on Joao Felix and sets the tone for the rest of the game. The difference between Spanish and European football is clear.