Lemar, Griezmann, Correa, Cunha score in Atletico Madrid win
Cadiz, Spain, Nov 28 (EFE).- Atletico de Madrid smashed Cadiz 4-1 on the road on Sunday, with Thomas Lemar, Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa and Matheus Cunha finding the twine in a splendid match, especially during the second half, at Nuevo Mirandilla stadium before 18,000 fans, thus boosting the team’s spirits after its defeat by Milan in Champions League action last week.
With the loss, Cadiz could slip under the relegation threshold if Elche wins on Monday over Osasuna.
Diego Simeone’s men played a convincing and power-packed game all the way through, and they were particularly adept at sinking their shots-on-goal after the intermission.
The capital squad took control early on, playing slow soccer with many passes, constantly seeking openings amid the host team’s defense while Cadiz’s main goal was to guard their own net with an eye toward possibly eking out a draw, although they caused sparks to fly at times with good drives into the midfield area.
After one of those sallies, the hosts got their clearest chance on a shot by Luis Alfonso Espino in the 36th minute, which nevertheless came to nought, and the teams were locked in a scoreless tie at halftime.
After the break, Atletico forced several consecutive corner shots and on a centering pass right into the area in the 56th minute, Lemas was able to knock in a header to get his team on the board. Shortly thereafter, he tried for another tally, but Ledesma was able to fend him off.
A drive by Marcos Llorente on the right resulted in a rebound that was knocked in by Griezmann in the 69th minute and from then on it was virtually all Atletico, with Correa converting in the 76th minute, Choco Lozano managing to get one into the net for the hosts in the 85th minute only to have Madrid respond a minute later with a shot by Matheus Cunha that created the final result.
Lineups:
Cadiz: Ledesma; Carcelen, Haroyan, Cala, Espino; Salvi (Chapela, m.77), Jonsson (Fali, m.82), Alex Fernandez (Bastida, m.82), Perea (Negredo, m.67); Sobrino (Arzamendia, m.77) and Lozano.
Atletico de Madrid: Oblak; Gimenez (Felipe, m.33), Savic, Hermoso; Llorente, De Paul, Koke, Lemar (Cunha, m.72); Griezmann, Suarez (Correa, m.72) and Carrasco.
EFE jsb/cc/jl/bp
