Atletico Madrid 2-1 Alaves Player Ratings: Sorloth’s late strike earns thrilling win for Atletico

Atletico Madrid completed a stunning around in their 2-1 win against Alaves in Saturday’s La Liga clash. The contest marked Diego Simeone’s 700th game in charge at Atletico but Alaves disrupted the historic occasion by taking a shock early lead. Javi Galan conceded a handball inside the penalty box, with Jon Guridi making no mistake from the spot in the 7th minute. The visitors reverted to a deep defensive block in an attempt to protect the lead and everything went according to their plans for larger parts.

However, a turning point occurred in the final 15 minutes when Atletico were awarded a penalty following Abdelkabir Aqbar’s handball. Antoine Griezmann rose to the occasion and made no mistake in converting his penalty to restore the parity. Los Rojiblancos continued their pursuit of finding another goal, and they succeeded when Alexander Sorloth scored the winning strike in the 88th minute, aided by Rodrigo De Paul’s assist, vanquishing Alaves’ hopes. The victory also marked their fifth straight in all competitions while climbing to the second in the league table.

Atletico Madrid Player Ratings vs Alaves

Goalkeeper

Jan Oblak: 5/10 – Was beaten by Guridi from the penalty spot and was hardly called into action apart from that.

Defenders

Javi Galan: 4/10 – Conceded a hand ball at the very start to put Atletico in a perilous situation and offered little upfront.

Axel Witsel: 7/10 – The Belgian was a great presence in the defence, winning 3 tackles and 5 duels. His passing was also sublime with 95% accuracy while completing 5 long balls

Clement Lenglet: 5/10 – Missed a glorious opportunity off Griezmann’s freekick but his line-breaking passes were exquisite with 9 passes into the final third

Cesar Azpilicueta: 6/10 – A solid showing from Azpilicueta, standing firm in the backline while also being excellent in ball progression. Completed the most touches in the game and delivered 9 balls into the final third.

Midfielders

Marcos Llorente: 4/10 – Tried hard to help Atletico get back into the game and had 2 shots on target but to no effect. A quiet showing from the Spaniard.

Koke: 6/10 – The midfield maestro was good at controlling the tempo of the game, delivering 10 passes into the final third. Also made 5 crucial recoveries.

Pablo Barrios: 6/10 – The young Spaniard looked shaky on transition despite making a few interventions. Being the link between the attack and the midfield, Barrois delivered 10 balls into the final third, though his long balls were wayward.

Attackers

Samuel Lino: 6/10 – Had an early sight at the goal after being set up by Griezmann but his effort was denied by the cross-bar

Antoine Griezmann: 7/10 – Griezmann rose to the occasion once again, pulling the strings in the decisive moments. Created 4 big chances and showed great composure from the penalty for the equaliser

Angel Correa: 5/10 – Correa failed to make use of the opportunity as a starter, failing to register a shot on target.

Substitutes

Giuliano Simeone: 5/10 – Provided some fresh legs to Atletico’s attack and came close to scoring once

Alexander Sorloth: 7/10 – The Norwegian showed once again he is a top signing for Atletico in the summer by rising to the occasion in the decisive moment. Made a sneaky and timely run behind the defence and netted home a blistering right-footed strike.

Rodrigo De Paul: 7/10 – Split the defence wide open with a brilliant through-ball for Sorloth’s winner.

Rodrigo Riquelme: N/A

Julian Alvarez: N/A

Manager

Diego Simeone: 7/10 – Simeone’s milestone game was on the verge of ending as a disappointment before Atletico players enjoyed a stunning turnaround in the final quarter. The Argentine manager was on point with his substitutions, with his son Giuliano providing impetus in the attack, while Sorloth and De Paul changing the course of the game.

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Alaves Player Ratings vs Atletico Madrid

Goalkeeper

Antonio Sivera: 5/10 – Came up short in the two decisive moments towards the end.

Defenders

Manuel Sanchez: 6/10 – Sanchez couldn’t showcase his attacking quality due to Alaves’ deep block but he excelled in his defensive duties, making 4 recoveries, and winning 1 tackles and 2 duels.

Santiago Mourino: 6/10 – Mourino put in a shift in the backline, making 5 interceptions and 4 clearances.

Abdelkabir Aqbar: 5/10 – Aqbar’s solid game was undone by his handball, which proved to be a springboard for Atletico’s comeback

Nahuel Tenaglia: 6/10 – Tenaglia’s physical presence was on display for larger spells, winning 4/4 ground duels and 1 tackle and making 4 recoveries.

Midfielders

Ander Guevara: 6/10 – Guevara’s long balls proved to be threatening on times and he was defensively solid, making 5 recoveries.

Antonio Blanco: 6/10 – Blanco played a key role in keeping Atletico quiet for larger spells, involving in 11 defensive actions

Carlos Martin: 5/10 – Martin’s playmaking abilities were completely curbed by Alaves’s defensive tactics.

Attackers

Carlos Vicente: 4/10 – Vicente hardly made his mark in the game with just two touches inside the opposition box.

Jon Guridi: 6/10 – Guridi handed Alaves high hopes by scoring an early penalty, showing great calmness in the process.

Kike Garcia: 4/10 – Garcia was aerially dominant, winning most of the duels, but often found himself stranded up front.

Substitutes

Moussa Diarra: 3/10 – Played Sorloth onside and was caught off guard by the Norwegian’s sneaky run behind the defence.

Alexander Sedlar: 3/10 – Should have prevented De Paul from triggering his through-ball.

Stoichkov: N/A

Toni Martinez: N/A

Tomas Conechny: N/A

Manager

Luis Garcia: 5/10 – Garcia’s defensive tactics worked to an extent until Atletico scored the equaliser. His substitutions were also questionable, playing a part in the defeat.

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