In Diego Simeone's 613th match in charge of Atlético de Madrid, more than anyone else in the club's history, already above Luis Aragonés, in celebrating such a remarkable figure, Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann devoured Sevilla, double scorer in a margin of three and a half minutes the Dutchman and author of the 3-1 Frenchman to sentence the taking of third place and overwhelm the Andalusian team, finally defeated 6-1 by two more goals from Morata and one from Yannick Carrasco.
In the first two goals, the qualities of Memphis shine -subtle definer in the 1-0 and resounding in the 2-0, with a great goal from the edge of the area-, they enhance the commitment to him in the last winter market to replace Joao Félix and predict a brighter future for the striker; in the third, Griezmann's innate ability to make a difference out of nowhere, with a ball that didn't seem like a big deal until he almost housed it in the squad.
But, at the same time, they expose Sevilla. At 1-0 and 2-0, between minutes 23 and 26, for the two balls that he handed over to his rival in easy passes, perhaps induced by pressure, perhaps not because of that, but because of the insecurity he transmits , because they were not two deliveries so complex for the ruling. And at 3-1, at 53, for all the space he gave a footballer with the resources of the French attacker to control and shoot without opposition.
Then came Yannick Carrasco's 4-1, Rakitic's penalty on the post, Morata's 5-1 and 6-1, Gueye's expulsion for a double yellow, already in the final stretch...
But the beginning of the end for Sevilla was Memphis. Minute 22 and 20 seconds. The Dutch attacker beat Bono, whom he faced with many meters ahead, launched by Antoine Griezmann's eighth assist of this League. Minute 25:58 seconds, in another counterattack, he controlled at the edge of the area, looked, settled the ball and released a tremendous shot to the squad, with all the parameters that made him unstoppable: positioning, power, surprise...
A demonstration of his dimension, in doubt at Barcelona or Manchester, when he played for United, when he was still very young; revitalized in Lyon and hopeful at Atlético. Not even his initial blunder in a shot overshadowed the expressive punch that he confirmed as soon as he had the next chance. Two opportunities, two goals, two examples. When it was changed after the meeting time, the acclamation was unanimous.
Atlético have signed him for two and a half years for nights and goals like this Saturday, so that he is the decisive player who was perceived in the duel against Sevilla, but above all the scorer who propelled the rojiblanco team to its fifth victory in the last seven days, although it was not as simple as it was intuited then, when the two blows from Memphis invited an easier calculation of victory. It was not so. But almost.
Sevilla recovered, yes; Atlético relaxed, too. There is no other perspective in the second of the cases to understand the 2-1 that brought Jorge Sampaoli's team back into the match and points directly and unequivocally to Giménez, once an indisputable defender in Diego Simeone's scheme and in the rojiblanco club , now not so much. Contemplative, confident, his action portrayed his moment, when he neither protected nor attended to the ball that Pape Gueye ran, who put it back into play, into the small area. In Nesyri he did the rest. A fail. 2-1.
The Andalusian team recomposed, recovered from the sequence of goals that Memphis gave them, the game rediscovered emotion for a while, revitalized when it seemed sentenced; nothing proportional to the effect it caused on Sevilla, which resurfaced as quickly as it faded again, fearful of its own mistrust, defeated by another great goal from Atlético, this time from Griezmann. His left foot was out of reach for Bono, who flew, tagged it and wailed.
The best scorer of the Simeone era, with 150 goals, and the third in the entity's history, with Luis Aragonés back on top, with 173, he felt a freedom unbecoming of this level when he picked up the ball, turned and connected the left-handed No one within a few meters of the Sevilla defense to oppose a destiny that was already final.
Even Yannick Carrasco, far from his best times, confused for months every time he breaks into the area, joined the party. His goal, when he finished off at the far post, a pass from Pablo Barrios, after a climb up the right wing by Marcos Llorente (Matt Doherty, signed this winter from Tottenham, had his first minutes with Atlético in the last quarter hour), he already sentenced everything. The 4-1.
There was still a doubtful penalty for Sevilla. He threw it to the post Rakitic. Nothing came of it for the Andalusian team, which still received Álvaro Morata's 5-1. His first shot, caused by a pass from Griezmann, was repelled by Bono. The rejection was left at his feet. The second was a goal, 5-1. Then he added the 6-1 to culminate the party for Simeone, the coach with the most games in the history of Atlético, already above Luis Aragonés. Two legends.
6 - Atlético de Madrid: Oblak; Llorente (Doherty, m. 78), Savic, Giménez, Hermoso, Carrasco (Carlos Martín, m. 85); Koke (Saúl, m. 63), Witsel, Lemar (Pablo Barrios, m. 63); Griezmann, Memphis (Morata, m. 63).
1 - Seville: Bond; Montiel (Navas, m. 86), Gudelj, Jordan, Nianzou, Coin; Suso (Oliver Torres, m. 67), Gueye, Rakitic (Telles, m. 78), Ocampos (Rafa Mir, m. 86); En-Nesyri (Bryan Gill, m. 78).
Goal: 1-0, m. 23: Memphis. 2-0, m. 26: Memphis. 2-1, m. 40: In Nesyri. 3-1, m. 53: Griezmann. 4-1, m. 69: Carrasco. 5-1, m. 76: Morata. 6-1, m. 90: Morata.
Referee: Cuadra Fernández (C. Balearic Islands). He expelled Gueye (m. 25 and 82), from Sevilla, for a double yellow. He admonished the local Giménez (m. 42) and the visitor Acuña (m. 55) with a yellow card.
Incidents: match corresponding to the twenty-fourth day of LaLiga Santander played at the Cívitas Metropolitano stadium before 57,737 spectators.
