BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – After scoring the stunning winning goal that eliminated Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey, Antoine Griezmann once again outperformed Jude Bellingham in a duel to become Spain’s most decisive player. It is considered that
Griezmann beat Vinicius Junior to the ball, danced across the end line and fired a shot into the goal at a slight angle, over the shoulder of goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. The third goal in stoppage time gave Atlético a 4-2 win over Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, giving them a clear lead.
Atlético coach Diego Simeone said of the key to the victory that took his team to the quarter-finals: “The substitutes gave us momentum, and Griezmann, a magical player, did his job.” Told.
Madrid have lost just two of their 29 games in all competitions this season, including the Champions League, both of which were at the hands of Atlético.
Griezmann also scored the winning goal in Atlético’s 3-1 victory over Madrid in the Spanish league in September. He also scored for Atlético in stoppage time in their 5-3 loss to Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final in Saudi Arabia last week.
Win or lose against Atlético’s fiercest rivals, Griezmann did his best for the team by also serving as their best playmaker and helping out in midfield defence. This is a must for any player who wants to remain in Simeone’s good graces.
And this was for a player Barcelona sent back to Atlético after two frustrating seasons in which he failed to capitalize on the talent that helped France win the 2018 World Cup.
Since Griezmann returned to Atlético in September 2021, it is as if he has never left. Griezmann, 32, is Riyadh’s all-time top scorer and has etched his name into Atlético legend. The club honored him on Thursday with a dedicated playing shirt inscribed with his 174th goal, breaking the previous record set by Luis Aragonés. Griezmann reached 175 goals with the victory.
“We were lucky to beat Madrid twice and it is true that we are very strong at home,” Griezmann said. “I’m very happy with the effort of the whole team. We are tired and don’t have much time to rest (before Monday’s league match in Granada), but we are very excited.”
While Griezmann continued his form against Madrid, Atlético once again proved to be one of the few teams able to stop Bellingham from completely running away.
Bellingham hit a woodwork shot early on Thursday that scored Josel Mato to make it 2-2, but the goal was disallowed.
Bellingham quickly became a world-class star after joining Madrid from Borussia Dortmund last summer. The 20-year-old scored 17 goals, including a league-high 13, and was key to moving Madrid closer to the top of the table, just one point behind unexpected leaders Girona.
Griezmann further surpassed that record with a total of 18 goals. However, Atlético have suffered tough defeats in recent league matches and are in fifth place, 10 points behind Madrid.
Madrid have a chance to avenge their cup defeat on February 4, when Atlético visit the Santiago Bernabéu in a league match.
Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said: “Atlético, like us, made a huge effort. No one deserves to lose. We lost, but we have to move on.” “Now I have two weeks to practice hard and improve my fitness.”
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