Despite resting star forwards like Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid secured a huge away victory against Valencia.
Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid executed a brilliant late smash-and-grab to defeat Valencia 2-0 at the Estadio de Mestalla on Saturday afternoon.
Caught between two massive Champions League semi-final legs against Arsenal, Simeone opted to heavily rotate his squad. The gamble paid off handsomely, as two second-half substitutes, Iker Luque Sierra and Miguel Llorente, found the back of the net in the final 20 minutes to secure all three points and hand Los Che a frustrating home defeat.
Lookman rested ahead of Arsenal showdown
After making an accelerated recovery from an adductor strain to play the full 90 minutes against Arsenal on Wednesday, Lookman was completely rested for this LALIGA fixture.
Given the monumental second leg awaiting Atlético at the Emirates Stadium on May 5th, it came as no surprise that Simeone took zero risks with his explosive Super Eagles forward.
A quiet afternoon for Umar Sadiq
On the other side of the pitch, it was a deeply frustrating afternoon for Valencia’s Nigerian striker, Umar Sadiq.
After scoring in consecutive matches against Mallorca and Girona, Sadiq was handed the start and played the full 90 minutes. However, he was completely isolated by a disciplined Atlético defensive block anchored by Robin Le Normand and Clément Lenglet.
Sadiq finished the match without registering a single shot on target, as Valencia’s midfield struggled to provide him with any meaningful service throughout the contest.