Atletico of Madrid and Mallorca ended with a 0-0 tie at ‘Ono estadi’. The red and white team got a point and finally was able to stop the bad run of the last two matches, against Deportivo La Coruña and Zaragoza when both ended with a defeat. Although they had most of the match the ball possession, Atletico wasn’t able to translate that possession in goals against a conservative rival in spite of playing at their home field.

Coach Javier Aguirre repeated against Mallorca the starting team he lined up at the Calderon Stadium against Zaragoza: at the middle field Luccin, Maniche and Costinha, and at the forward line the trio composed by Fernando Torres, Galletti and Victor Bravo. Atletico wanted to impose its law and to take control of the ball from the first minute, while his rival bet for the order and tactical rigorousness to close spaces and to sank the red and white plays, far away of Prats’ area, trusting their options on a fast break.

The first chance was for Atletico by ‘Hueso’ Galletti in a right footed shot, although Arango answered few after with a left footed. This initial exchange of hits didn’t have continuity, because Atletico touch and touch at the middle of the field without finding a way that would’ve allowed the red and white strikers to get close to the rival area with clarity. At 22’ Maniche and Luccin made a move that let the French player show his powerful shot, but the shot from outside the area didn’t found the goal.

The game increased the intensity in the last fifteen minutes of the first half. Fernando Torres and Galletti tried without luck to get close to Prats’ area, while in Mallorca team Víctor and Nunes made the same thing with identical result. The match got into an uncertainty phase in which any of both teams could get ahead by an isolated move, although the scoreboard was still untouched at the end of the first 45 minutes.

The second half started with novelties in the red and white lines. Javier Aguirre opted to clear ideas in the forward line entering ‘Kun’ Agüero instead of Maniche, warned with a yellow card, but was Luccin the one who created danger again. The French player shot a powerful foul kick in which Prats had to put everything to stop it. At 73’ Fernando Torres tried also with a header from a pass by Victor Bravo, although the header left outside.

Ze Castro and Mariano Pernia entered the field instead of Pablo and Victor Bravo, but the match didn’t change much. For Atletico it was hard to get to Prats area and when they did, couldn’t achieve to translate danger into goals. That way occurred at 83’, when the local goalkeeper blocked with solvency a shot by Agüero from out side the area. The match entered into the final part and the last chance was for the vermilion team that could’ve got three points over the bell if it wouldn’t be by Leo Franco’s save.


Technical data:

Mallorca: Prats; Varela, Nunes, Ballesteros, Navarro; Jankovic (Jonás, 76’), Basinas, Jordi, Arango; Victor (Kome, 63’) and Maxi (Tristan 84’).

Atletico of Madrid: Leo Franco; Seitaridis, Pablo (Ze Castro, 60’), Perea, Antonio Lopez; Costinha , Luccin, Maniche (Agüero, 53’), Victor Bravo (Pernia, 73’); Galletti and Fernando Torres.

Referee: Delgado Ferreiro. He showed yellow card to Navarro (59’) and Ballesteros (74’) for Mallorca; and to Maniche (41’) and Luccin (65’) for Atlético.


Photo: www.clubatleticodemadrid.com