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Galatasaray
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 15, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Atletico Madrid logo

0-2

FT(HT: 0-2)
Griezmann (18', 25')

Player Ratings: Galatasaray 0-2 Atletico Madrid

Sports Mole reviews how the players fared in Atletico Madrid's 2-0 Champions League win away to a lacklustre Galatasaray side.

Atletico Madrid opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win away to Galatasaray in Istanbul tonight.

A first-half double from Antoine Griezmann was enough as Diego Simeone's side silenced the partisan fans inside the Turk Telekom Arena and kicked off Group C with a win.

Here, Sports Mole sorts the angels from the demons on a night where Atletico negotiated 'hell'.

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann (3rdL) celebrates with his team mates after scoring the second goal during the Champions League group C football match Galatasaray vs Atletico Madrid on September 15, 2015© Getty Images



GALATASARAY

Goal

Fernando Muslera: Did precious little wrong all night and could do nothing about either goal. Also pulled off some smart stops to thwart Atletico's long-range efforts. (6/10)

Defence

Sabri Sarioglu: Struggled with the adventurous Siqueira throughout and never really got to grips with the game. (5/10)

Jason Denayer: Head and shoulders above any Galatasaray defender tonight, Denayer, on loan from Manchester City, showed why the Citizens are reluctant to sell him with a solid performance. (7/10)

Semih Kaya: Poor in both halves but could perhaps be culpable for Griezmann's second after giving the Frenchman far too much space in which to volley home from inside the six-yard box. (4/10)

Lionel Carole: Endured a nightmare first half in which the likes of Griezmann and Juanfran tormented him, but improved after the half-time break. (6/10)

Midfield

Lukas Podolski: Missed two excellent chances; the second of which resulted in him falling over at the pivotal moment. Nightmare from the former Arsenal man, who was subbed on 70 minutes. (4/10)

Selcuk Inan: Tried in vain to grab the clash by the scruff of the neck on a number of occasions in the second half, but the captain failed on that front. (5/10)

Hakan Balta: Normally deployed in defence, Balta did not look too out of place in a unfamiliar midfield role, which is the only compliment he is likely to receive. (5/10)

Emre Colak: Lasted a little over half an hour after being replaced by Bulut in a tactical change that saw Galatasaray instantly improve. (4/10)

Wesley Sneijder: Anonymous first half but slowly and surely grew more influential, but not enough to affect the result. (5/10)

Attack

Burak Yilmaz: Perhaps should have started on the bench in favour of Bulut, who put him to shame when he came on. (4/10)

Substitutes

Umut Bulut: Subbed on during the first half and had an immediate impact but he could, and should, have scored at least once after spurning some promising chances. (6/10)

Sinan Gumus: Enjoyed a good cameo after replacing Podolski but Galatasaray needed more than what he provided. (6/10)



ATLETICO MADRID

Goal

Jan Oblak: Should have been tested far more than he was but Galatasaray more often than not failed to hit the target with their promising opportunities. (6/10)

Defence

Juanfran: Shackled the likes of Podolski and Sneijder well, and provided an excellent assist for Griezmann's opener inside the final quarter. (7/10)

Jose Gimenez: Even though Galatasaray were sub-par in the final third, it was partially thanks to the defensive efforts of Gimenez and partner Godin. (7/10)

Diego Godin: Solid as a rock at the back and his towering header directly led to Griezmann's second of the night. (7/10)

Guilherme Siqueira: Gave Sarioglu the run-around for most of the night but the injured Filipe Luis need not worry about losing his place in the first XI just yet. (6/10)

Midfield

Tiago: Barely broke sweat in the first half but occasionally struggled after the break when Galatasaray slowly and surely exerted more pressure. (6/10)

Saul: Produced some good and bad moments on his return to the first XI, but might have struggled had the opposition been stronger. (6/10)

Koke: Nowhere near his best showing as the midfielder consistently delivered poor crosses from corners and free kicks. (5/10)

Antoine Griezmann: Star of the show in the first half but the Frenchman dipped after the break. Still, his goals mean that he was the stand-out candidate for man of the match tonight. (7/10)

Attack

Luciano Vietto: Endured a low-key Champions League debut for his new club as he struggled to click with strike partner Martinez. (5/10)

Jackson Martinez: Relatively selfish performance from the Colombian, who was subbed by Diego Simeone minutes after going for goal rather than playing in the unmarked Griezmann. (4/10)

Substitutes

Fernando Torres: Replaced Martinez but did not offer much more than his predecessor. (5/10)


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Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann (3rdL) celebrates with his team mates after scoring the second goal during the Champions League group C football match Galatasaray vs Atletico Madrid on September 15, 2015
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