Considered the most decisive player in Spain, Antoine Griezmann again defeated Jude Bellingham in their Copa del Rey match after scoring a stunning winner to eliminate Real Madrid.
After outpacing Vinícius Júnior to the ball, Griezmann danced down the finish line and curled the shot into the only available space, which was at a narrow angle barely over goalkeeper Andriy Lunin’s shoulder. In the Copa del Rey on Thursday, Atletico Madrid defeated 4-2, with the third goal coming in extra time to put Atletico ahead for good.
Diego Simeone, the coach of Atletico Madrid, described the keys to win that advanced his team to the quarterfinals as “our substitutes gave us a boost and then the magic player that Griezmann is did his thing.”
Atletico has been the opponent of Madrid’s two losses in 29 games this season in all competitions, including the Champions League.
In September, Griezmann scored the game-winning goal as Atletico defeated Madrid 3-1 in the Spanish league. He also scored for Atletico in last week’s 5-3 extra-time loss to Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals, which were held in Saudi Arabia.
Griezmann gave his all for his team, winning or losing against Atletico’s most formidable opponent. He was also the team’s finest playmaker and supported his midfield in defence, which is a must for any player hoping to maintain Simeone’s good graces.
And this for a guy Barcelona shipped back to Atletico after two disappointing campaigns in which he failed to capitalise on his potential and helped France win the 2018 World Cup.
It seems as though Griezmann had never left Atletico since his return in September 2021. Griezmann, who is 32 years old, made history at Atletico by surpassing all previous scorers in Riyadh. The team celebrated that accomplishment on Thursday by issuing a commemorative playing shirt bearing Luis Aragonés’s previous record—174 goals. Griezmann added another goal to make it 175 in the triumph.
Griezmann remarked, “It is true that we are very strong at home, and we have been fortunate to beat Madrid twice.” “I am really pleased with the team’s overall performance. We are excited, but we also have a league game at Granada on Monday, so we don’t have much time to relax.
Even though Griezmann was still on fire against Madrid, Atletico once again showed that they are one of the very few teams capable of preventing Bellingham from going crazy.
Early in the game on Thursday, Bellingham struck the woodwork, setting up Joselu Mato to tie it 2-2, but he was not allowed to score.
Following his summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, Bellingham has become a world-class player very rapidly. With 17 goals, including a league-high 13, the 20-year-old has been instrumental in helping Madrid climb to the top of the standings, trailing only Girona by a single point.
Griezmann just surpassed that total with a total of 18 goals. But Atletico has suffered several hard losses recently in the league, and now sits in fifth place, ten points behind Real Madrid.
On February 4, Madrid will have a chance to exact revenge for the cup loss when Atletico comes to the Santiago Bernabeu for a league game.
Like us, Atletico exerted a great deal of effort. Nobody was worthy of defeat. “We have to move on from our loss,” Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti remarked. “We have two weeks to work hard and get in better shape.”
