Alexander Sorloth made a dramatic impact off the bench, netting a superb hat-trick to propel Atlético Madrid to a commanding 4-0 triumph over Girona in La Liga.
While the Catalan visitors had already secured third place, avoiding a fourth consecutive away game without scoring, something not seen since 2011, will offer some consolation.
With both teams having little to fight for, Girona safely in third and Atletico once again settled into their habitual third-place finish, the clash had the makings of a tame contest, especially in contrast to the high-stakes drama elsewhere in La Liga just 24 hours earlier.
Surprisingly though, the first half delivered moments of intensity, albeit with a lack of finesse in front of goal.
Julian Alvarez carved out the best opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, twice testing Vladyslav Krapyvtsov with shots aimed at the bottom-left corner.
The second of those came from a well-taken free kick on the edge of the area, but both efforts were denied by the Girona goalkeeper.
Atletico dominated proceedings through much of the half, but the Blanquivermells stood resilient, determined not to let the league’s poorest away side among the top five dictate terms easily.
Frustration got the better of Diego Simeone as the half drew to a close. The Argentine manager found himself booked for dissent in stoppage time, protesting what he perceived to be an injustice against Yangel Herrera following his challenge on Rodrigo De Paul.
Something more innovative would be needed from the Argentine manager if he was to make it a seventh win in nine H2Hs vs Michel (D1, L1).
Despite his animated protests, Simeone refrained from altering his squad at halftime.
Atletico resumed their assault in the second period, with Antoine Griezmann seeing a near-post strike deflected onto the bar and goalkeeper, while Samuel Lino was denied by a last-ditch block from Daley Blind, much to the relief of Krapyvtsov, who was caught off guard by the deflection.
On the hour mark, Simeone sought to inject fresh energy, introducing his youngest son Giuliano and Sorloth. The Norwegian striker, chasing the opportunity to surpass Alvarez as Atletico’s top scorer for the season, needed only six minutes to make his mark.
A sequence of neat passes culminated in Alvarez finding De Paul, who played a ball for Sorloth across the face of goal, allowing the Norwegian to pick his spot and net his 18th league goal of the campaign.
Girona, already guaranteed their lowest finish since rejoining Spain’s top division three seasons ago, could offer little in response. A goalmouth scramble handed Clement Lenglet a simple finish following a fumble from Krapyvtsov, before Sorloth added two more to complete his treble and cap off an emphatic win for Los Colchoneros.
With the FIFA Club World Cup on the horizon, Atletico will be buoyed by this performance. Girona, meanwhile, will nervously await the outcome of Sevilla’s clash with Villarreal later today — even a single point for the Andalusians would confirm Michel’s men as the ‘worst of the rest.’
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