Atletico ratified at Vicente Calderon Stadium an ascendant tendency. The clear improvement in the game since the arrival of Pepe Murcia to the bench allowed the red-and-whites to overcome even twice the tie with the Deportivo, and getting this way a desired victory in front their fans. Maxi, with two goals, was the great main character of the victory of the ‘colchoneros’(3-2), and Antonio López signed the third one with a spectacular foul shot.

Atletico jumped into the field with the intention to show that the victory against Zaragoza wasn’t something unusual. Close to two minutes in the game, Fernando Torres sent a center to the small area that Maxi was close to take advantage. Soon after the captain tried with a shot that didn’t find the goal. Deportivo gradually found their place on the field with pressing in the middle, and this way they disturb in the creation of the red-and-whites. The game entered in an imprecision phase in which Atletico took the offensive initiative, and Deportivo hardly disturbed Leo Franco who became a VIP spectator through the first half. This way, at 32' the first goal of the match arrived, when Maxi took advantage of a pass from Petrov to make a volley that entered close the right goalpost of Molina. The sentence could arrive soon after thanks to a Kezman’s header, but this time Molina stopped the ball and saved the Serbian player shot.

The second half started the wrong way for Atletico, since Rubén Castro, who just entered into the field, scored the goal of the tie by an apparent innocent foul kick that surprised Leo Franco. Once again Atletico saw how they lost the advantage in the Calderon Stadium scoreboard, although this time Pepe Murcia’s players refused to re-write the story of the eternal tie, and Antonio López was in charge of standing up the fans when he scored the second with an impeccable foul kick which Molina nothing could do about it.

The happiness doesn’t last long for the ‘colchoneros’, since Capdevila returned the tie to the scoreboard in another play a kick foul. The Galicians seemed to have enough with the tie, and they closed lines around Molina looking for the point of the tie. On the other side, the red-and-whites didn't lose their faith in the victory and, being convinced of the victory, they besieged the rival area until, with ten minutes to go, Maxi sent to the bottom of the net a center from Petrov, scoring this way the second in his particular account.

With this epic victory against Deportivo, Atletico of Madrid got for the first time in this season two straigt victories, ratifying in front of their fans the upward line of the last weeks since Pepe Murcia got in charge of the first team.


Photo: J. A. Sirvent