Atlético could only draw tonight at the Juegos Mediterráneos stadium against a bottom-placed Almería that still hasn’t won a game, but it didn’t make it easy for them despite already losing from the first minute.
Simeone made the lineup thinking about giving breaks. The team had just lost in Italy against Inter and on Thursday they visit San Mamés with the mission of coming back in the Cup semi-final. That made the forward line unprecedented, a duo formed by Memphis Depay and Ángel Correa.
The game couldn’t have started better for the colchoneros. They scored in the first minute in a raid by Reinildo on his wing in which he left two opponents and crossed so that Ángel Correa appeared in the goal area to beat Luis Maximiano, the Argentine’s eighth goal.
It took Almería twenty minutes to get into the game. A header from Choco Lozano was his first warning. In the 27th minute the tie came in a play that Marc Pubill started and that ended in a great action by Luka Romero, a spiral and a tight shot that beat Oblak. The Argentine was playing his third game with Gaizka Garitano’s team.
Atlético changed Koke and Lino for Riquelme and Llorente at half-time and came out much more intense in the second half. It took him little time to get back into the lead. In the 57th minute, De Paul starred in a ride and a shot that went in after brushing the ball against a defender.
Riquelme could have sentenced it with a shot against the crossbar. The game was not won for the colchoneros because in the 64th minute Luka Romero broke in again to tie with a whip from the outside. Romero left immediately due to calf problems, replaced by former Real Madrid player Sergio Arribas.
The game entered the final minutes with a give and take that could leave anyone the winner. Morata missed one of the easiest goals of his career in added time, an error two meters from the goal in a shot that went very high after a double defensive error by Almería. Compensation would come in the next play in which Melero also missed a called goal that could have meant his first victory in the League.
Atlético has only won one of its last seven away games. That’s where the League is going. Right now they are fourth, but five points behind Barcelona. Tomorrow, Sunday, Madrid could leave them at thirteen and Athletic, at three, could equal them in fourth place.
