A dynamic Atlético, with a lot of mobility in its attacking players, took down Osasuna hooked on Jonathan David’s goal-scoring instinct to open the match. Kang-in Lee, Le Normand with a good right-footed shot, and Baena, who closed the score to deliver the expected performance, were the executors for the Navarrese team. It was good news that the Korean and the Almerian enjoyed themselves. Both played the full 90 minutes.
There were four goals, and Atlético did not score more because Aitor Fernández made four or five prodigious saves that prevented a bigger thrashing. In Osasuna’s defense is the goal disallowed with the score at 1-0, according to the referee because Torró’s head collided with Le Normand’s in a crossed ball that Arguibide ended up scoring. At the very least, a debatable decision heavily protested by Osasuna players.
Four days before the next derby at the Metropolitano, with Hancko, Giuliano, and Pubill rested, Simeone’s team deployed dominantly and was difficult to decipher for the five-man defense set by Luis Miguel Ramis. The Osasuna coach also considered the schedule and physical demands and left his top scorer Budimir on the bench.
Grimaldo best represented the defensive confusion of the Navarrese side. A novelty that a wing-back or full-back frequently plays as an inside midfielder. And not only on his natural left side. Grimaldo appeared in the central corridor and also on the right. Throughout his career, his value as a wing-back has always been greater as an offensive player than as a defensive one. He benefits from anything that involves attacking, and this Wednesday he was seen enjoying that unusual freedom in Simeone’s playbook to drop off his flank.
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A header from Lookman, a shot from Kang-in Lee repelled by Aitor Fernández, and another from Grimaldo that hit the chest of an Osasuna defender were the first cascade of chances generated by Atlético, who played with Koke and Cardoso in the center of operations. Both set the red-and-white machinery in motion when they sharpened their passes and gave fluidity to the game. Osasuna responded to that first red-and-white burst with a counterattack that neither Cuti Romero, when Raúl Moro was driving it, nor Le Normand, when the rival attacker filtered the pass behind him, managed to intercept. Raúl García arrived with the tip of his boot. Oblak blocked the shot because he had read the play well, and when the Osasuna forward shot, the Slovenian keeper was already on top of him. That was Osasuna’s best play of the entire match, besides the disallowed goal.
Atlético also showed a good version of Kang-in Lee and Baena, free to act as a false nine or attacking midfielder. But no one took better advantage of playing unrestrained in attack than Grimaldo. He broke through the right flank of the area to collect a good lob from Cardoso from the edge of the box. His cut-back was volleyed by Jonathan David, but he found Aitor Fernández’s reflexes to palm the shot away. The ball fell again to the Canadian, who did not miss this time. Two goals in two matches to reaffirm his status as a goal hunter. David exudes an air of a sly striker, with a limited but effective repertoire. He distributes the play well, attacks space, and with the ball sometimes looks like a futsal pivot. With a touch on a tile, he sat his marker at the edge of the area, and Kang-in Lee wasted his assist. On the rebound of a tight and hard shot from the Korean, Aitor Fernández came to try to finish it off, and with another miraculous save, he established himself as Osasuna’s best player. His performance opens more debate about the goalkeeper position that until this afternoon had been occupied by Sergio Herrera, another good keeper.
Aitor Fernández was again a protagonist in the second half when Baena tested him. He could do little or almost nothing on the goals by Kang-in Lee, well assisted with a subtle touch by Jonathan David, on Le Normand’s, and on Baena’s.
| Position | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
2 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
4 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
5 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Position | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
12 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
14 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
15 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
