Atletico Madrid welcomed Valencia to the Vicente Calderon on Sunday knowing that victory would move them ahead of Celta Vigo and into third position in the La Liga table.
At the interval, the home side led 2-0 courtesy of goals from Jackson Martinez and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, who found the back of the net in the latter stages of the first period.
Atletico were comfortable for long spells of the second half in Madrid, but a Paco Alcacer penalty after a Diego Godin foul in the 72nd minute gave Valencia hope of an unlikely point.
The hosts survived a spell of late pressure, however, to claim a hard-fought three points.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute commentary of the action below.
Evening all! Sports Mole's live La Liga coverage continues from the Vicente Calderon as Atletico Madrid welcome Valencia. It has been a solid rather than spectacular start to the season for the home side, while Valencia have also struggled to produce their best form in the early part of the campaign. As it stands, six points separate fourth-place Atletico from eighth-place Valencia.
Barcelona's clash with Eibar means that we have a quick turnaround here, so let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news from Madrid with kickoff fast approaching here...
TEAMS:
ATLETICO: Oblak; Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Luis; Koke, Gabi, Tiago; Carrasco, Jackson, Griezmann
VALENCIA: Domenech; Cancelo, Mustafi, Santos, Gaya; Parejo, Perez, Danilo, Gomes; Mina, Rodrigo
So there we have it. No real surprises in the Atletico XI this evening, with head coach Diego Simeone once again selecting a 4-3-3 formation. Antoine Griezmann is joined in the final third by Jackson Martinez and Yannick Ferriera Carrasco, meaning that Fernando Torres and Angel Correa are only on the bench. Luciano Vietto remains out of action through injury, but Stefan Savic is in the squad tonight.
Valencia, meanwhile, are still without the likes of Sofiane Feghouli and Aymen Abdennour through injury, but Dani Parejo is fit to captain the team from midfield. Enzo Perez and Danilo are also given spots in the middle of the park, while Santi Mina is picked to lead the attack alongside Rodrigo Moreno. A strong Valencia bench includes the likes of Paco Alcocer, Pablo Piatti and Zakaria Bakkali.
Little over five minutes until kickoff now! Both of these teams will enter this match off the back of Champions League victories. Atletico returned to winning ways in their group with a 4-0 victory at home to Astana, while Valencia recorded a 2-1 win over Gent. In the league, Atletico started with back-to-back wins over Las Palmas and Sevilla, but were then beaten 2-1 at home by Barcelona. Back-to-back victories over Eibar and Getafe, however, put Diego Simeone's side back on track in the league.
A 1-0 defeat at Villarreal towards the end of September made it two defeats for the season for the 2013-14 Spanish champions, but they recovered from a goal down to draw with Real Madrid before the international break and also beat Real Sociedad 2-0 last time out. If Atletico have title ambitions this season then these are the type of matches where they simply have to collect maximum points.
As for Valencia, they have now won four of their last five games in all competitions following a disappointing start to the season. They could only draw with capital side Rayo Vallecano in their league opener at the start of the campaign, before behind held at home by Deportivo La Coruna. A 1-0 victory over Sporting Gijon after the international break, however, put Nuno's side on five points.
Since the start of September, Valencia have drawn with Real Betis, lost to Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao and beaten Granada and Malaga. The 3-0 win at home to Malaga last time out brought comfortably their best performance of the season and some of the pressure has been eased on head coach Nuno following back-to-back victories in the Champions League. Right, prediction time...
... PREDICTION! I can just see Atletico edging this game in Madrid. Valencia have plenty of options on their bench, but I am not sure a front two of Mina and Rodrigo will particularly scare the hosts. I think it will be a tense and tight affair, but I am picking the home side to win this 2-0.
KICKOFF! Here we go then - both sets of players join us on the pitch for the first period. It must be said that there is a wonderful atmosphere inside the stadium as the away side get the action underway...
... as expected, it has been a high-tempo start from both teams, with Valencia already having some joy in Atletico's half of the field. It will be interesting to see just how attacking the visitors are in this particular match. Atletico have real width in this game through the likes of Griezmann and Carrasco.
CHANCE! The first chance of the match falls the way of Valencia as a flick from Rodrigo almost falls for Mustafi at the far post, but the German cannot make contact under contact from Godin. It was a super free kick from Parejo that led to Rodrigo angling a header towards the back post.
CHANCE! Super opportunity for Atletico this time as Koke finds all sorts of space inside the Valencia box after some questionable defending, but his low effort is brilliantly saved by Domenech!
Well, seven minutes on the clock and it could well be 1-1. Neither side is taking time to warm-up as both continue to exchange periods of pressure. A deep corner from Koke threatens to cause concern inside the Valencia box, but Parejo heads clear at the near post. Atletico are so good from set pieces.
It is Valencia's turn to threaten from a set piece and again Parejo delivers excellent quality into the box, but a mixture of Godin and Gimenez manage to clear and Atletico are now on the break...
... Koke attempts to slip a pass into Jackson, but the striker was on his heels and Santos sweeps clear. It is all very fast-paced and lively, with both teams needlessly giving away possession here.
Carrasco has a sight of goal for Atletico after showing good feet outside the box, but the attacker's effort was always curling wide of the post. Twelve minutes on the clock and we are still level.
Not an awful lot to report in terms of clear chances since those two opportunities early on, but Valencia are starting to see more of the ball in wide positions. Both Cancelo and Gaya are pressing high up the field, but that is giving space to the likes of Griezmann and Carrasco down the other end.
BOOKING! Mustafi (Valencia) is booked for a late challenge on Griezmann and now the hosts have a free kick in a very dangerous position. Griezmann and Koke are both around the ball here...
... it is actually Gabi that takes aim, but his effort is straight into the Valencia wall.
Atletico are on the front foot in Madrid as they continue to deliver from wide areas, but Valencia have been strong defensively in the opening 19 minutes. Mustafi needs to be a touch careful after picking up that yellow card, but the big German has been excellent clearing his lines thus far this evening.
Valencia's players are not being given a moment on the ball this evening as Atletico continue to adopt a high-pressing approach, but Rodrigo manages to wriggle free before firing wide. You get the feeling that the first goal - if there indeed is one - could be very important in terms of the final result.
SAVE! Super goalkeeping from Oblak as the Atletico stopper uses his legs to keep out a low strike from Cancelo, who had overlapped Rodrigo down the right. Nice sequence from Valencia there!
Valencia might be forced into an early change here as Rodrigo hobbles off the field...
... VALENCIA SUB! Indeed the change is made as Alcacer replaces Rodrigo.
CHANCE! Gimenez has a free header inside the Valencia box following a deep corner from Koke, but the centre-back's effort flies over the crossbar. That is a real let-off for the visitors here!
Rodrigo is currently being carried back to the changing rooms on a stretcher - it looks to be a bad one for the Valencia forward, who pulled up under no contact. More on that will follow in due course.
It must be said that the opening 29 minutes of this contest have just flown past. Atletico have shaded the game overall, but both teams have had chances to open the scoring. Valencia's young midfielder Danilo has stood out for me - he has shown excellent maturity in a tense atmosphere.
Half-chance for the home side as Griezmann finds space outside the box before turning and striking towards the top corner, but his effort was always rising over the crossbar. Still goalless in Madrid.
GOAL! Atletico 1-0 Valencia (Jackson Martinez)
Atletico break the deadlock in the 32nd minute as Jackson Martinez takes advantage of some poor Valencia defending before firing into the bottom corner. Both Mustafi and Santos were guilty of not clearing their lines and Martinez pounced before showing coolness to slide into the back of the net.
Santos is rocking at the heart of the Valencia defence, with another mistake almost handing another shooting chance to Martinez. The home side are going for the jugular here, that is for sure!
CHANCE! Jackson Martinez comes close to scoring a second after collecting a super through pass from Griezmann, but Domenech puts out a big right hand to tip the striker's effort wide of the post!
SAVE! From the resulting corner, Domenech makes another save to keep out a thumping header from Godin! Worrying times for Valencia as Atletico go in search of their second goal here!
Valencia are still wobbling as Atletico flood forward with attack after attack...
... Valencia seem to have overcome that difficult period without conceding a second goal, which was so important. You do get the feeling that the visitors must score the next goal in this game if they have ambitions of securing a positive result. Little over five minutes of the first half remaining here.
GOAL! Atletico 2-0 Valencia (Carrasco)
Valencia have not survived without conceding a second. Atletico double their lead five minutes before the break as Carrasco drives to the edge of the penalty box before firing one into the bottom corner. It is a super finish from the Belgian attacker, who gave Domenech no chance from distance.
Valencia have started to find some good form in recent weeks, but they have been unable to live with Atletico in this first period. Is the game already over? It is tough to see a way back for the visitors.
Valencia manage to settle with a period of possession, but Atletico are comfortable here.
HALF-TIME: Atletico 2-0 Valencia
So there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with Atletico leading Valencia 2-0 courtesy of goals from Jackson Martinez and Carrasco. It was Jackson that opened the scoring in the 32nd minute following a poor piece of Valencia defending, before Carrasco found the bottom corner five minutes before the break. Valencia have not played that badly, but they are in trouble at the break.
STATISTICS! The hosts have shaded the possession with 52%, while they have had nine attempts, five of which have been on target. As for Valencia, they have only had two attempts thus far. It has been a half full of strong tackles, but there has only been one booking, with Mustafi having his name taken.
BENCH WATCH! Atletico boss Diego Simeone has a number of attacking options on his bench this evening, with the likes of Correa, Niguez, Oliver Torres and Fernando Torres all capable of making an impact. Valencia, meanwhile, have already been forced into one change with Alcacer replacing the injured Rodrigo, but head coach Nuno still has Bakkali, Piatti and Fuego on his bench tonight.
RESTART! Here we go then - both sets of players re-join us on the pitch for the second period. Can Valencia find a route back into this match? It will be tough. The hosts resume the action in Madrid...
... no changes for either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise. However, I suspect that Nuno will look to his bench if the score remains 2-0 for the next 15, 20 minutes here.
It is super work from Carrasco as the Belgian drives down the left before attempting to cut a cross into the path of Martinez, but Danilo is on hand to make the challenge. A third for Atletico would be a real killer blow, there is no doubt about that. Valencia need some inspiration from somewhere!
Half-chance for Atletico as a period of pin-ball leads to Godin having a header inside the box, but his effort bounces wide of the post. The interval has not harmed the tempo of this match in Madrid!
Domenech is once again forced into a save as Martinez's effort deflected towards goal. Valencia really cannot afford to concede a third this early in the second period, but the hosts are in control.
BOOKING! Carrasco (Atletico) is booked for a late challenge on Parejo.
BOOKING! Parejo (Valencia) is booked for throwing his arm into Carrasco's face.
VALENCIA SUB! Valencia make their second change as Parejo is replaced by Bakkali.
Not an awful lot to report in terms of chances in the early stages of this second period, but Atletico continue to look the team more likely to add to the scoring. As it stands, the hosts are moving above Celta and into third position in the table. Valencia have little over 30 minutes to change that.
ATLETICO SUB! Fernando Torres replaces Martinez for the hosts.
This is turning into a bit of a battle, but that is not what Simeone will want. There have been some very tasty challenges in this second period and injuries are a real concern. Still 2-0 Atletico.
Valencia boss Nuno has made two changes this evening, but the tide has not really turned. He might have one more ace up his sleeve, but Atletico are comfortable just past the hour mark here.
BOOKING! Perez (Valencia) is booked for a late challenge on Fernando Torres.
Carrasco cushions a wonderful volley towards the top corner as Atletico come close once again, but Santos manages to head clear at the vital moment. All of the work is coming from the hosts.
CHANCE! Griezmann comes close to making it 3-0 after super work from Carrasco, who regained the ball before setting up the Frenchman, but his effort was just wide of the near post!
ATLETICO SUB! Oliver Torres replaces Carrasco for the hosts.
Little under 20 minutes of the second period remaining and Atletico are heading for all three points in routine fashion. Valencia have not actually done too much wrong this evening, but a strong spell for Atletico in the latter stages of the first period has made the difference. The noise in this ground is deafening!
PENALTY VALENCIA!
Valencia have a penalty as Godin brings Mustafi to the ground. Wow!
GOAL! Atletico 2-1 Valencia (Alcacer, pen)
Alcacer makes no mistake and suddenly it is game on at the Calderon! The Spanish international sent Oblak the wrong way and now the visitors have more than 15 minutes to secure an unlikely point!
You just get the feeling that there is another goal in this game and it would be extraordinary if Valencia could indeed take a point. That said, Atletico are more than capable of scoring a third.
Valencia stopper Domenech stoops to save from Tiago as the visitors survive a hammer blow.
SAVE! Domenech is again forced into action to deny Juanfran from inside the box, before Fernando Torres heads a Griezmann cross wide of the post. Should really be 3-1, but Valencia manage to survive!
VALENCIA SUB! Piatti replaces Perez for the visitors.
BOOKING! Juanfran (Atletico) is booked for a late challenge on Gaya.
Cancelo fires over the crossbar as Valencia have another chance to strike from distance.
ATLETICO SUB! Correa replaces Griezmann.
BOOKING! Gomes (Valencia) is booked for a late challenge on Oliver.
Little under five minutes of football remaining and Atletico still lead 2-1, but Valencia will fancy their chances of having one last opportunity before the final whistle is blown. In truth, it would be unjust if the hosts did not collect all three points here after dominating for long spells of the evening.
Atletico threaten with a corner from the right, but more solid defending from Valencia sees the danger cleared. Piatti's pace down the other end then wins a corner for his team...
... BOOKING! Correa (Atletico) is booked for a poor challenge on Piatti.
The amount of injury time will be interesting because there have been a lot of stoppages in this second period. Atletico's supporters are doing their best to raise their side, but Valencia are really pressing and they have so much pace in the final third. Three minutes of added time at least I think!
Oblak saves from Mina as Valencia again find space in the final third.
Just three minutes of added time... a little harsh on Valencia that!
Atletico continue to hack clear as the seconds tick away at the Vicente Calderon. Correa then wins a brilliant free kick from Danilo to further take the pressure off the home side's back four.
BOOKING! Gabi (Atletico) is booked for a poor challenge on Mina.
FULL-TIME: Atletico 2-1 Valencia
Phew! Atletico hold on to secure all the points and move into third position in the table in the process. Credit to Valencia for their response in the second half, but a home win was just about a fair result. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for the action once again. Until next time!
Written by
Matt Law
Matt Law
