And here’s the match report:
Summary
So, after an evenly matched, end-to-end first half, Atlético came out and took control of the game, Fernando Torres getting the decisive goal before Yannick Carrasco finished the job.
It was a tough night for Valencia, which ended in whistles from the home crowd. Diego Alves was at fault for two of the goals, and Aderlan Santos picked up two clumsy bookings to ruin any chance of a late fightback.
Atlético stay second, eight points behind Barcelona, and four ahead of Real. Valencia remain mired in mid-table, and on this evidence, are a long way from returning to where they feel they should be – challenging the likes of Atlético, who were clearly superior tonight. Thanks for reading. Bye!
Full time: Valencia 1-3 Atlético Madrid
That’s that. Atlético move back to within eight points of Barcelona, while Valencia depart the field to whistles from the crowd.
92 mins: Carrasco, on his way back from injury, has boosted Atlético since coming on, and his angled shot flies wide. Time almost up for Valencia.
“Santos just proved that completely idiotic second yellow cards are not the sole property of the Premier League” says JR in Illinois. “This one makes five monumentally stupid sending offs I’ve seen this weekend.”
90 mins: Three added minutes. Not a lot happening.
89 mins: I doubt this was the second half Gary Neville had in mind.
87 mins: Alves, who looks to be exchanging a few terse gestures with the home fans, has made one world-class save, but let in two goals he really should have saved. For Atlético, Griezmann is replaced by Oliver Torres.
GOAL! Valencia 1-3 Atlético (Carrasco)
Atlético go for the kill, with Griezmann finding Carrasco, who skips inside Mustafi and fires low, straight at Alves’ shins. The keeper should deal with it, but moves his legs in the Sunday league style, and the ball ricochets into the net!
83 mins: Atlético are able to enjoy a spell of possession in the Valencia half, before Neville, after squabbling with his brother awhile, does send Negredo on, in place of Javi Fuego.
81 mins: Santos’ transgression has put a spanner in Neville’s plans, with Negredo, who was poised to come on, sent back to his seat in the dugout. He doesn’t look thrilled.
Red card! Santos sent off for Valencia
The hosts’ frustration has boiled over, and as Torres skips past Santos, the centre-back sends him to the deck. It’s a yellow card all day long, and his second of the night. Off he goes.
78 mins: Atlético are furious, after Feghouli plants studs on Lucas’ shin, leaving the centre-back in a writhing heap. It didn’t look great on the replay, but hard to be sure the winger really meant it. It’s a booking.
77 mins: Woof! Carrasco slaloms through the defence, takes aim from 25 yards out, and fizzes a shot that has Alves caught cold – but it flies a few inches past the far post!
76 mins: Valencia try to show a bit of composure in the Atlético half, but Danilo, edging forward from midfield, loses his cool and beams a shot way wide of Oblak’s near post.
75 mins: Griezmann, who has taken up a free role since Carrasco came on, wins possession and leads a sauntering move upfield. Atlético are looking comfortable.
73 mins: Can Valencia strike back once again? The Atlético defence, as usual, is giving little away, and Alcacer’s cut back is cleared by Saul.
GOAL! Valencia 1-2 Atlético Madrid (Torres)
From the corner he won, Torres puts Atlético back ahead! Giménez’s flick on found Torres, who had peeled away from the crowd of defenders, and he tucked the ball beyond the despairing dive of Alves.
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70 mins: Torres holds the ball up well, the former Liverpool man eventually denied on the edge of the area by Mustafi, once of Everton. Atlético corner...
69 mins: Griezmann nods the ball wide from a cross from the left, and looks to the heavens. Atlético have dominated the second half, but have nothing to show for it.
68 mins: Vietto, who has shown plenty of effort, and was mightly unlucky not to beat Alves ten minutes ago, is off, replaced by Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
66 mins: Juanfran, suddenly down by the Valencia goal-line, whips in a cross that Santos just flicks beyond the blue shirts waiting in the penalty box. Feghouli, an excellent outlet for Valencia on the break, relieves the pressure with another gallop upfield.
65 mins: A tactical shift from Simeone, with Vietto and Griezmann playing just behind Torres, Koke dropping deeper, and the full-backs pushing forward. They have started to turn the screw in the last few minutes.
64 mins: Vietto has had enough of being pushed around, and clatters Rodrigo with an ugly tackle. He picks up a booking, and doesn’t look too surprised.
62 mins: Just the one change from Simeone, with Fernando Torres replacing Kranevitter. Atlético aren’t playing for the draw here. Cheryshev looks to have picked up an injury, and is having ice applied to his knee in the dugout.
60 mins: Cheryshev is off, replaced by Rodrigo. Diego Simeone was preparing a double substitution, but is hanging fire, perhaps swayed by Vietto locating the goal a moment ago.
59 mins: This is an extraordinary save from Alves. Luis lifts in a cross, and the ball is knocked down to Vietto, who gets a shot on target, smashing it at goal from eight yards. With a split-second to react, Alves gets a hand to it, and somehow turns it onto the bar! He’s made up for his error on the goal, and then some.
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58 mins: Ever since Griezmann’s opener, there’s barely been a dull moment in this match. After the Frenchman fails to find a team-mate in the area, Valencia charge downfield, and Alcacer’s low, angled shot almost escapes Oblak’s grasp.
56 mins: The visitors do get a free kick, as poor old Vietto is upended by a hefty tackle from Santos. Atlético haven’t been up to their usual standards from set pieces, and Koke’s delivery drifts behind for a goal kick.
55 mins: Vietto has a hole in the back of his shirt, care of a high boot from Siquiera. No free kick for Atlético, which has Simeone off his seat in frustration.
54 mins: More sterling work from Feghouli between the lines, racing forward and seeing his shot turned behind for a corner. From it, Mustafi gets his head to it, but can’t make a clean connection.
52 mins: A half-chance for Gabi, but he drags his shot from distance a long, long way wide. Atlético’s finishing hasn’t exactly been clinical tonight.
50 mins: Valencia inch forward, and from a deep cross from the left, they appeal for handball – but replays show the ball hit Lucas’ chest as it bobbled across the penalty box.
49 mins: Diego Alves, unhappy with a needless back pass, hoofs the ball along the byline, possibly out of spite. It nestles against the corner flag, and Valencia clear. Couldn’t have done that if he tried.
48 mins: Atlético enjoy a spell of possession after Cheryshev misplaces a pass, before Siqueira’s through ball to Koke forces a corner. Gomes is on hand to clear Griezmann’s cross, as the hosts come under a bit of early pressure.
46 mins: Despite battling back into the game in the first half, Valencia didn’t impress Neville, who looked furious at half-time. They start the second half on the back foot, with Saul heading over from Luis’ cross from the left.
Peep!
Here we go. One substitution for Valencia, with young attacking midfielder Danilo on for Enzo Pérez.
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The second half is imminent. Will Atlético reassert their authority? Can Valencia push on for a confidence-boosting win? Will Gary Neville and Diego Simeone’s touchline strutting escalate into blind, ugly violence? We’ll find out.
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Half-time: Valencia 1-1 Atlético Madrid
Highly enjoyable stuff so far, with Atlético bossing the early stages and taking the lead through Antoine Griezmann, before Denis Cheryshev stuck back immediately, setting up an open, even and entertaining contest. More soon.
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44 mins: Kranevitter races 20 yards to close down Alves, but the keeper stays cool to clear the ball away.
42 mins: Atlético win a free kick, but Valencia are organised, and in trying to find a gap, Gabi can only waft the ball out of play.
40 mins: Vietto, a big-money signing from Villarreal in summer, has scored just 3 times for Atlético – and it shows, with another half-chance wildly missed. He’s certainly trying, though.
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39 mins: Gomes winds up for a shot in stages, galloping in from the right side – but he takes a touch too long, and his effort is closed down. Valencia ending the half on top, with Neville barely staying off the pitch, never mind inside his technical area.
38 mins: Valencia finding gaps in the defence, and Alcacer tries to repeat his excellent assist, lifting the ball through to Cheryshev, in space – but his volley zips over the bar!
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36 mins: Feghouli leads the charge again, slipping the ball right to André Gomes. His cross is cleared, but rebounds back to the midfielder whose second cross, a low hit-and-hope affair, is also turned away from goal.
34 mins: A spell of scrappy stuff, with both teams giving possession away cheaply, leading to theatrical gestures on the touchline from both coaches.
32 mins: André Gomes brings down Koke, and Atlético take the free kick quickly, with Griezmann toe-poking a pass through to Vietto, who fires into the side netting from a narrow angle.
30 mins: Cheryshev and Feghouli are causing problems with their movement from out wide, and the latter almost cuts the visiting defence open again – but his shot is blocked, and from the corner, Valencia work the ball back into midfield, to hoots of derision from the home crowd.
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28 mins: Straight down the other end, Griezmann fires a speculative shot over Alves’ crossbar. Atlético’s seven-hour run without conceding is over, in a game that’s been much more open than expected – and Gary Neville absolutely loved it.
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GOAL! Valencia 1-1 Atlético Madrid (Cheryshev)
Valencia respond to that sucker punch in style, with Siquiera crossing for Paco Alcacer, who cushions a header into the path of Cheryshev. He takes a touch, then drills the ball across goal, beyond Oblak.
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GOAL! Valencia 0-1 Atlético Madrid (Griezmann)
A 15th La Liga goal for Antoine Griezmann, out of nothing. Vietto wins the ball deep in the Valencia half and finds Koke, who slots the ball to the Frenchman, unmarked in the centre. From the edge of the area, he shoots low to the left of Alves, and somehow, it sneaks beyond the keeper and inside the near post.
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22 mins: Feghouli’s corner is half-cleared, and former Atlético player Siquiera strikes from outside the box – a low, swerving shot that the ever-reliable Oblak pushes clear of his near post.
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21 mins: A rare break forward, instigated by Feghouli, who nicks the ball past Saul. The defender recovers and gets in a well-timed tackle. Feghouli goes tumbling in the area, and Neville appeals wildly, but Saul got the ball – just.
19 mins: Griezmann almost catches Alves out with a daisy-cutter that the goalkeeper has to palm around the post. From the corner, it falls to Vietto, who could do with a goal. He doesn’t get it here, taking the ball down in space, but scooping it high and wide.
18 mins: Save for one hardy soul still banging a drum, the crowd have had the gusto sucked out of them by Atlético’s start. They’re keeping the hosts from building attacking momentum, and creating plenty of openings themselves.
16 mins: Saul motors down the left, and is played in by Griezmann – but Mustafi gets across and makes an excellent sliding challenge. Saul appeals for a penalty, but nobody else seems bothered.
14 mins: Atlético break on goal, and with Valencia’s defence bunched together, he fluffs his pass to Vietto. No matter – Mustafi’s awful clearance loops into the striker’s path, but his shot flies over the bar.
12 mins: Felipe Luis is penalised for a foul, and Valencia have a chance to move forward , but do nothing with it. The hosts haven’t settled at all.
10 mins: The ball is spending a fair bit of time in the air, but the visitors have made the best of a scrappy start.
7 mins: Another neat attacking move is brought to a halt by Cancelo forcing the ball off Vietto, and behind for a corner. The first is cleared behind, the second bobbles to Giménez, who heads over the bar.
6 mins: Cheryshev forages down the left, but the defence crowd him out. Atlético head down the other end, and Griezmann finds Koke in the area – but his shot is pulled wide of Alves’ far post.
John McEnerney offers a prediction, and points us in the direction of a decent subplot:
I like the idea of Beckham actually asking Neville to get revenge, and Neville coldly telling him to take responsibility for his own actions.
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3 mins: Challenges flying in already, with Cheryshev crudely taking down Vietto. That surely would have been a booking at any other time.
2 mins: Atlético, playing from left to right in blue shirts and red shorts, look the more positive early on, but there’s a distinct lack of shape to proceedings.
Peep!
We are off.
Kick-off is moments away, with both sets of players exchanging formalities in the tunnel. The Mestalla crowd are making a right racket; this is a ground where Atlético have had trouble getting a result in recent years.
Predictions, anyone? We’re not in the business of anticipating goalless draws, and with Godín out, Valencia’s chances of a breakthrough have improved significantly. They still, like most teams, lack their opponents’ mental fortitude, so I’ll plump for a 1-1 draw.
LLEGADA | Así ha sido la llegada del @valenciacf a Mestalla ¡Vamos a por el triunfo! #VCFatléticohttps://t.co/kfAJuiBP25
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) March 6, 2016
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One important bit of team news – Diego Godín is a late omission, due to gastro-enteritis, according to Atlético’s Twitter feed. He’s replaced in the starting line up by Lucas Hernández.
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The teams
Valencia: Diego Álves; Siqueira, Santos, Mustafi, Cancelo; Javi Fuego, Gomes, Pérez; Cheryshev, Alcàcer, Feghouli.
Subs: Ryan, Negredo, Parejo, Danilo, Barragan, Abdennour, Rodrigo.
Atlético: Oblak; Juanfran, Giménez, Lucas, Filipe Luis, Gabi, Kranevitter, Saúl, Koke, Griezmann, Vietto.
Subs: Moyá, Gámez, Thomas, Óliver, Carrasco, Correa, Torres.
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Preamble
Hello. Gary Neville’s three-month reign as Valencia manager has certainly been hard to predict. Neville has overseen a 10-0 aggregate Europa League win, an 8-1 aggregate Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona that pushed him to the brink, and a revival that has brought three La Liga wins in four. The other fixture, a 3-0 home defeat to Athletic Bilbao, has poured cold water over any real optimism.
Tonight’s opponents, by contrast, are nothing if not consistent. Whether at the Bernabéu or the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, Diego Simeone’s Atlético have a winning formula, and they’re sticking to it. It’s enabled them to continue disrupting La Liga’s presumed duopoly, nestling between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the table despite having scored half the goals of either title rivals.
That’s largely down to a defence of otherworldly efficiency, currently on a run of five games without conceding, and with only 11 goals leaked all season long. The continued excellence of Antoine Griezmann has helped, too – the French forward has scored 14 of Atlético’s 39 goals this season, including the winner at Real Madrid last week.
Barcelona’s easy win at Eibar this afternoon has left Simeone’s team clinging onto their coat-tails – an away victory is required tonight to keep the gap down to eight points. Valencia could climb to eighth with a win, if their inconsistent entertainers can best a team that aren’t always thrilling, but are always up for the fight. Kick-off is at 7.30pm GMT, 8.30pm local time.
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Niall will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Sid Lowe’s tribute to Atlético’s redoubtable team spirit after their victory in the Madrid derby last week.
The first time they met, Antoine Griezmann left Zinedine Zidane standing in his pants; the second time, he left Zidane’s players even more exposed, stripped bare before the Bernabéu. Not just them, in fact: coach, players, president, club, the lot. It is a little over a decade since young Antoine, a hopeful kid at Real Sociedad, asked Zidane for his shorts after a game at Anoeta, the pair retiring to the tunnel so they could be handed over. Ten years on, Antoine, the top scorer at Atlético Madrid and responsible for more than a third of their goals, turned superbly, dashed across the turf, exchanged passes with Filipe Luís and curled in the goal that inflicted on Zidane the coach his first defeat in charge of Real Madrid.
The way it arrived was a portrait of his talent and Real’s failings, players ambling aimlessly as Griezmann ran, the entire stadium watching the pass to Filipe Luís open up as if in slow motion, while the finish and its consequences revealed their nakedness. Suddenly, it was all out there, uncovered: the errors, the divisions, the flimsiness of the facade. Blame was apportioned, fingers pointed. At the end, Real’s anthem was put on as quickly as it could be and as loudly too, barely a second between the final whistle and the deafening first bar, but the complaints could still be heard and so could chants for the president, Florentino Pérez, to resign – 10 years to the day since the last time he walked out.
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