Atletico of Madrid suffered an overwhelming defeat against Sevilla at Sanchez Pizjuan (3-1), a Stadium that traditionally is not very comfortable for the red and white team. Javier Aguirre’s group, although they have numerical superiority during a good part of the match, couldn’t make the plays that brought them to be one of the most lethal teams of the championship away home and succumbed against a very effective goal shooting proved by the team from Sevilla. The locals knew how to translate their chances with solvency against a rival that search the way to the goal but didn’t find luck in the last metres.

The match started thrilling with the drawing on the grass of two teams determined to win. Atletico look for the ball from the beginning and the first chance didn’t take long time to come in an action by Pernía. Sevilla answered immediately with a shot by Luis Fabiano and few minutes after dealt the first blow to the match when Kanouté, alone in front of Leo Franco, inaugurated the scoreboard of Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. Bad start for the visitors.

In spite of the bad patch, the red and white team didn’t give up and Luccin and Costinha tried to play with the forward line, but the suffocating pressure of Sevilla turned impossible the role to control the match. When the second goal arrived, Dani Alves finished a play with a shot from outside the area that entered in Leo Franco’s goal. Things were wrong and Agüero could cut distances at the scoreboard if it wouldn't be for the great save by Sevilla’s goalkeeper Palop. Things livened up after the sending-off Martí after a foul to Agüero, but Sevilla knew how to adapt adapt their play to the new situation and their numerical inferiority wasn’t translated, as it was expected, in more offensive presence of the rival.

At the second half Javier Aguirre searched the formula to open the safety box of Sevilla’s area with the entered of Galletti and Jurado, a bet to move the ball by the wings. Then, the match took a way more suited to the situation, with a crouched Sevilla waiting for the rival charge and an Atletico monopolizing the ball. But the locals knew at all times how to keep their rival far from their goal and Atletico, without depth, watched how minutes were wasted without chances to cut distances at the scoreboard.

The cloudy panorama turned definitively black when Kanouté got up with his old tricks again heading to the bottom of the net a corner-kick. At 72’ with three goals against and at the stadium of the second classified in the League, were too much. Fernando Torres, present in every red and white offensive plays, tried it finishing a personal game with a right footed shot that saved the goalkeeper. The ‘9’ would have the chance to score at his boots when he shot a penalty made to Agüero, but was Pablo who scored after he shot the rejected ball of Palop’s hands that stopped the kick of the captain.

The Madrilenians believed again in the possibility of achieving the tie and Jurado could make the second if it wouldn't be for a new save by Sevilla’s goalkeeper, who made a great exhibition. Fernado Torres tried again with three minutes to go with a header from a pass by Pernía, but bumped into Palop again, the same happened to Gabi few moments after. Finally, the match finished with the defeat of an Atletico of Madrid that didn’t know how to find the formula to put an end to the Sanchez Pizjuan’s curse.


Photo: www.clubatleticodemadrid.com