Atletico Madrid 3-1 SK Slovan Bratislava Player Ratings as Griezmann brace fires the hosts to a comfortable victory

With the Champions League nearing the next stage, teams are slowly beginning to fall into their respective positions which will determine their future in the competition. Whilst Atletico Madrid will be aiming for safe passage into the Round of 16, Slovan Bratislava will be more resigned to exiting the European competition. 

As has been the case with games where Atletico has been the favorite, they once again started slowly before imposing their will on the game with the abundance of physical and technical ability that they have in the squad. Eventually, this yielded them their first goal, a brilliant strike by the in-form Julian Alvarez, before Griezmann nodded in the second just before half-time. The second half saw the visitors retaliate with a fortunate penalty before Griezman closed off the game with his second goal, minutes later.

All in all the game made for an exciting watch with Atletico playing some tantalizing attacking football which really impressed the home support. Barring a few shaky moments, Slovan Bratislava was pretty handily dealt with.

Atletico Madrid Player Ratings vs Slovan Bratislava

Goalkeeper

Jan Oblak: 6.5/10- Confident yet at times lucky in terms of the saves he made. Effortlessly claimed the ball on a few occasions but seemed slightly uneasy at times during the second half.

Defenders

Javi Galán: 7/10- Excellent when marauding down the left flank and was mostly up to the task defensively. Barring a few fleeting moments of uncertainty, mostly had a good foothold in the game.

Clément Lenglet: 6.5/10- Despite a largely solid game, gave away a penalty that seemed rather soft in all honesty. Did not let that effect his game and was diligent throughout. 

José María Giménez: 7/10- Solid and in command at the heart of the defense. Rallied the troops well during nervy moments in the second half and was mostly able to keep things running smoothly at the back.

Marcos Llorente: 8/10- Superb in his all-round game, finding space on the flanks to venture forward and getting crosses in. Played a few exceptional balls over the top, including the one for Griezmann’s goal. 

Midfielders

Samuel Lino: 7/10- Started well and kept things alive on the left. Provided the assist for Alvarez’s goal which in all honesty was the easiest pass to make. Tried to get in the goals with a few long-range efforts as well.

Pablo Barrios: 6.5/10- Had a few uncharacteristically sloppy passes and tackles. Didn’t need to massively contribute and kept things ticking from deep midfield. Didn’t impress enough on the night as he was hooked at half-time.

Rodrigo de Paul: 7/10- Given the freedom to venture forward and did well to find his teammates with some incisive passes. Superb in his management of the ball in the more attacking areas, including his awareness of the whereabouts of his teammates. 

Giuliano Simeone: 6/10- Definitely one of his quieter performances in recent times. Struggled to get involved in goal-mouth action despite being ever present in the box during attacks. Had a few crosses of his own but most of them resulted in little to no threat.

Attackers

Julián Álvarez: 7.5/10- Continued his good run of form with another superb strike that he picked out with elite-level striking and precision. Was adequately involved in the build-up as well. 

Antoine Griezmann: 8.5/10- Was thoroughly involved in almost every attack for his side with some scintillating link-up play and took his goal quite well. Continued to be the heartbeat of the team throughout the game, adding another goal in the second half.

Substitutes

Koke: N/A

Conor Gallagher: N/A 

Rodrigo Riquelme: N/A

Alexander Sorloth: N/A

Manager

Diego Simeone: 8/10- Continues to impress with his new look Atletico side which dazzles audiences worldwide with every appearance. Managed the game well and demanded a lot from his players despite it being a fairly comfortable game.

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Slovan Bratislava Player Ratings vs Atletico Madrid

Goalkeeper

Dominik Takáč: 5.5/10- Nervy from the get-go and was not helped by his defense capitulating as the game went on. Could easily have prevented the third goal which was sent into him at the near post. 

Defenders

Siemen Voet: 6/10- Held his own at times despite the waves of pressure. Was marginally better with the ball at his feet but did not produce anything exceptional in terms of defending. 

Guram Kashia: 6/10- Struggled massively in the game and his age really showed in this one. Sold his keeper short with a suicide pass in one instance and was also beaten in the air by Griezmann for Atletico’s second goal. 

Kenan Bajrić: 6/10- Had a lot of difficulty in trying to keep up with the pace of Lino and Alvarez. Was adept at cleaning up and averting danger on a few occasions but otherwise struggled much like his peers.

Midfielders

Jurij Medveděv: 6.5/10- Well involved in attack and defense and tried to get his side further up the pitch as much as possible. Could have aided his defensive partner a little better on a number of occasions though.

Kyriakos Savvidis: 6.5/10- Showed for the ball a lot of times and really tried to get his side up the pitch. Was guilty of losing the ball in dangerous areas and occasionally misplacing a simple pass in the middle of the park.

Juraj Kucka: 6/10- Seemed out of place and out of energy in midfield, often moving away from passes altogether. Lacked a certain confidence or the authority needed to impose in the midfield, which saw a lot of pressure come their way.

César Blackman: 6/10- Gave it a good go, often getting down the flanks and delivering some good crosses and some useless crosses into the box. Really challenged the opposing defender as much as possible. 

Attackers

Róbert Mak: 6/10- Struggled to really get involved and was reserved to small passes during the rotation of the ball in midfield. Tried to get stuck in defensively but was not too effective at that either.

Tigran Barseghyan: 6.5/10- The only real threat of the Slovan side. Made a good go of it and threatened the Atletico goal with a solid effort. Was unlucky to have pulled his hamstring in the opening 30 minutes. 

David Strelec: 7/10- Took some time to grow into the game but then led the line well and despite being gifted a fortuitous penalty took it well and gave his side some hope of getting back into the game.

Substitutes

Nino Marcelli: N/A

Sharani Zuberu: N/A

Idjessi Metsoko: N/A

Alen Mustafić: N/A

Vladimír Weiss Jr.: N/A 

Manager
Vladimir Weiss: 6.5/10- Understood that his side would be under a lot of pressure and seemed unprepared for it. Made substitutions that made them better but was too little too late. Will need to pick his starting 11 better in the coming games.

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