Atletico Madrid defeated Real Oviedo 2-0 on Wednesday at Estadio Calos Tartiere to easily advance to the Copa del Rey round of 16.
The second-tier hosts may have had more opportunities, especially in the first half, but Atletico was in control for the majority of the game and managed to escape a shock.
After some Oviedo pressure, Marcos Llorente scored the game-winning goal in the first half, and Antoine Griezmann, who had two assists in the weekend victory over Elche, had expertly set him up. After the break, Atletico gave Oviedo plenty of possession, but the visitors seemed even more at ease than before and eventually defeated the hosts with late-game substitution Pablo Barrios.
Atletico started out with purpose, but Oviedo soon settled and generated chances of their own. Alvaro Morata's shot was just wide, and Llorente forced Tomeu Nadal into a crucial save.
Their main threat, Samuel Obeng, volleyed over from 12 yards out either side of Rodrigo Tarin's agonizing shot past Jan Oblak's left-hand post and pushed an inviting Hugo Rama cross into the side netting.
Atletico scored in the 24th minute thanks to Llorente's fortunate scuffed shot that beat Nadal after Griezmann's exquisite first-time pass, a cushioned volley, set him up.
Atletico academy graduate Borja Baston replaced Oviedo at the break, but his initial shot was just off-target. But seven minutes from time, Barrios—who had also scored in the previous round—took Angel Correa's well-weighted lay-off and finished through Nadal's legs, putting the match beyond doubt.
ATLETICO ISN'T FANTASTIC, BUT THEY DO THE JOB.
Admittedly, if Atletico were outstanding, it would likely be more unusual. It is obvious that in this game, survival was more important than providing amusement.
To be fair to them, they did just that. Even though Atletico was in control for the entirety of the game, Oviedo actually scored more goals than were predicted (1.45 xG to Atletico's 1.2), demonstrating that some of their first-half chances were legitimate opportunities.
However, it was generally felt that Atletico could have increased the intensity if necessary. They advanced to the next round and join Real Madrid because that was ultimately not necessary.
GRIEZMANN IS AGAIN SHARP.
Griezmann, one of the World Cup's biggest players, appeared revitalized in Qatar, and he has been fairly impressive since getting back to Madrid.
There was little doubt about his impact in a withdrawn role, as he recorded the most touches (84) and passes (75) of any Atletico player. His assist for Llorente's game-opening goal was exceptional, and even though that was his only significant pass of the contest.
CORREA ADDS VITALITY FROM THE BENCH
Correa may have only played for 14 minutes, but he had a big impact. He made more crucial passes for Atletico than any other player, including one that led directly to Barrios' score.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0