Atletico and Porto, who are down a man because a late strike
Atletico Madrid defeats Porto, who are down a man,
2-1 thanks to a late strike from substitute Antoine Griezmann.
Mario Hermoso gave Atletico the lead in stoppage time with a looping shot over Diogo Costa,
but he handballed in his own area moments later,
allowing Mateus Uribe to score from the penalty. Griezmann later scored with a goal that he headed in at minute 101.
Atletico Madrid – FC Porto Played on September 07, 2022
Atletico Madrid defeats Porto, who are down a player,
2-1 thanks to a goal from substitute Antoine Griezmann in stoppage time. In stoppage time,
Mario Hermoso appeared to have given Atletico the lead with a looping shot over Diogo Costa, but he handballed in his own box a few moments later,
resulting in a penalty kick from Mateus Uribe. In the 101st minute, Griezmann scored the winning goal with a header.
The best opportunities for either team came from specific defensive mistakes. Both goalkeepers,
Mehdi Taremi of Porto and Joao Felix of Atletico,
came close to punishing similar errors in the first 45 minutes.
Koke gave Atletico the lead with a low-driven strike five minutes after the break,
but the advantage was short-lived as VAR overturned the goal because of offside.
When Diego Simeone substituted Mario Hermoso for striker Alvaro Morata,
he appeared content with a draw.
Mehdi Taremi, an Iranian attacker,
was brought down in the Atletico box in the 82nd minute. Instead of receiving the penalty he was hoping for,
he received his second caution of the night and was removed from the game.
This event, together with Otavio’s injury for Porto,
made for a protracted pause.
Hermoso gave the home team the lead in the 92nd minute with a deflected shot following some deft dribbling in the box.
Hermoso turned from hero to villain five minutes later as he let up a penalty for handball. Mateus Uribe narrowly defeated Oblak from the penalty spot to essentially guarantee a tie.
When Atletico pushed forward with all of their players,
they were rewarded with a corner,
which Axel Witsel rose highest to flick on for replacement Antoine Griezmann to head home the game-winning goal in the 101st minute.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone is approaching his 11th season in the role,
and his players continue to respond admirably to him.
It’s truly amazing how patient his side is, especially when they have control of the ball at home. They never waste an opportunity to attack.
Simeone’s squad is as organised and tenacious on defence as any group in Europe, but they also know when and how to launch an assault.
Atletico had significantly less attempts, shots,
and shots on target than Porto,
but they made excellent most of the opportunities they did produce.
The late goals from Hermoso and Griezmann only serve to highlight the fact that Simeone still has the players’ full support,
even after all this time.
Athlete of the game
As he continued to flourish in his new position at the centre of Atletico Madrid’s defence,
