Atletico of Madrid left again a great opportunity to be comfortable at European place. Again the red and white team showed a bad image away and they lost (2 –1) against the Espanyol of Ernesto Valverde that knew how to play and to annul the red and white team, in spite of Petrov’s goal at the last minutes of the match.

Atletico travelled to Barcelona with the clear intention to take the three points in order to consolidate themselves at the European places, the aim of the red and whites from the beginning of the season. With the sick leave of Fernando Torres, Luccin and Leo Franco, Javier Aguirre rebuilt the team to make the supporter happy and to solve without problems the match.

The first step they found it just 9 minutes after the start of the match. Rufete from the right shot a ball and Moha put the 1-0 on the Lluis Companys Stadium’s scoreboard.

The answer came from Sergio Agüero’s boots that shot with the right after receiving a good pass of Costinha. The ball finally left out for tranquillity of the ‘pericos’ fans. The Argentinean Galletti tried it with a kick-foul from outside the area, but danger didn’t arrive again to Kameni’s goal, who didn’t have much work at the first minutes of the match.

Almost half an hour of game, Atletico of Madrid players started to worry a little bit more the perica’s goal. In this chance was Murcia’s Mista who tried to surprise Kameni, but the ball came without force and left out. In spite of Antonio Lopez’s runs by the wing, Ernesto’s players made good plays that sometimes drove crazy the red and white team.

Ten minutes for the end of the match, first Agüero and then Mista could achieve the tie, but none of the plays finished in goal. The Argentinean forward kept too much the ball, while the Murcian didn’t had enough speed against the Espanyol’s defence. Aguirre moved the bench before the end of the first 45 minutes, that way maxi and Petrov started to warm up waiting to be the stimulus of the team.

The exit of the field of Perea made the Argentinean Galletti to be place as the right winger, while Antonio Lopez occupied Pernia’s place. After six months Martin Petrov and Maxi Rodriguez felt again footballers in a football field. Without a doubt, a happiness for all Atletico’s fans.

Though Atletico of Madrid didn’t come with an excessive responsibility, it’s true that the red and white team showed another image at the second half, although Moha was the one who put on tenterhooks Atletico’s supporters with a shot from outside the area that finally went above Pichu’s goal.

Espanyol’s players started to worried making a great disturb around a play in which the football players of Atletico of Madrid didn’t shoot the ball away while one of their players was lying on the grass. Several players from Espanyol team rebuked Agüero and reproach him, but the referee showed Rufete the yellow card and the red to Ito who was on the bench.

Nervous were inside some of them, but the scoreboard played against Atletico of Madrid that couldn’t find the goal easily. The last bad touch came for Atletico at minute 74 when after a bad clearance by Pichu, Pandiani scored the second goal. Not even Petrov’s goal was able to prevent the defeat against Espanyol.


Photo: www.clubatleticodemadrid.com