As Atletico Madrid and 10-man Espanyol drew 1-1 at the Metropolitano on Sunday, Joao Felix came on as a substitute to help his team salvage a point.
After Atletico finished last in their Champions League group during the previous week, the audience had opened the game with some jeers, and the atmosphere did not get any better as the Rojiblancos struggled to break down their opponents.
Leandro Cabrera’s first-half dismissal appeared to be a perfect setup for the home team, but despite having an extra man, Atletico managed to lose following Sergi Darder’s volley just after the hour mark.
Just over ten minutes remained when Joao Felix came in to tie the game, but given the circumstances, a draw will still be a disappointing outcome for home coach Diego Simeone.
What happened in the game?
When Cabrera was ruled to have brought down Alvaro Morata while attempting to stop the Spain striker from rushing through on goal in the 28th minute, Espanyol lost a man.
Shortly after, Marcos Llorente nearly scored when he connected with a cross from the left by Reinildo, but his first-time attempt went over the crossbar.
In the 62nd minute, against the flow of play, Espanyol took the lead when Joselu headed Oscar Gil’s cross from the right back across goal for the open Darder to volley past Jan Oblak.
In the 78th minute, Felix raced toward goal and smashed a left-footed drive inside Benjamin Lecomte’s near post, but Atleti was unable to score. Felix was a fellow substitution for Thomas Lemar.
What does this draw means for both managers?
The game appeared to be going away for Atletico before Joao Felix‘s equalizer, which will have brought some relief. However, losing two points at home to a struggling team with fewer players is not ideal.
If Real Madrid defeats Rayo Vallecano on Monday, Atletico would fall 11 points behind Real in La Liga. Atletico have lost their past four games at the Metropolitano in all competitions.
The game included 27 shots, the most Simeone’s team has attempted in a league game this year, but only seven of them were successful.
Espanyol deserves admiration for their perseverance after being down to 10 men, despite the fact that the hosts’ attack may have lacked inspiration.
Espanyol manager, Diego Martinez has now drawn six games in LaLiga, more than any other team.
Correa’s Milestone
When he came off the bench at halftime, Angel Correa may not have been able to help his side win the game, but he did achieve a significant milestone.
The Argentine completed his 250th LaLiga appearance for the team, making him just the 18th player in Atletico’s history to accomplish this feat.
Next fixtures
On Wednesday, Atletico will travel to play Mallorca, and Espanyol will host Villarreal.
