Diego Simeone might have arrived wanting to set a personal record straight with newly-appointed Valencia coach Rubén Baraja, who only lost to the fiery Argentine once in their playing days. These are different times though, and the relegation-threatened visitors’ 11-game H2H winless LL away run saw reports calling their trip Atléti as ‘a visit to the dentists’, so Simeone may have been unsurprised that his side were on top, but pulling teeth in a hard-fought opening.
The hosts’ sheer dominance on proceedings meant a first-half goal was likely but not before visiting goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili pulled off a quite stunning stop. Memphis Depay and Marcos Llorente combined splendidly, and what might have been one of the team goals of the season was thwarted by the Georgian’s strong hands. Atléti were waltzing however, and the opener that soon followed was of similar ilk, as Antoine Griezmann sliced through Valencia’s backline before sticking the knife in with a rolled finish - against no other LL side has he scored more goals.
Prior to the break, the home faithful had a scare in the form of Hugo Duro’s equaliser which was eventually ruled out by VAR, though there were few nerves in Atlético’s ranks as they struck again just minutes into the second period. Rodrigo De Paul’s threaded through ball found Yannick Carrasco who made no mistake with his finish to all but wrap up a club-record 17th consecutive unbeaten top-flight game against Los Che.
Valencia, who are holders of LL’s longest active losing streak in away games, ultimately limped over the line with their creativity strangled by a flurry of Red-and-White on a pristine Metropolitano pitch. Griezmann was particularly influential and his outstanding effort over every blade of grass was rewarded again as the game reached its conclusion. The French international started a counter-attack which resulted in compatriot Thomas Lemar's composed finish from inside the area to cap off a wonderful night for the hosts.
Atléti fans must be wondering why their side haven’t been able to produce performances such as these more consistently. Though on the basis of this evening’s display, at least they’ll be watching their team compete in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid)