A destemplado Athletic passes to eighths of the Champions

[KEPY™]

Desperate and feverish, Atlético qualified for the eighth of the Women's Champions League. Neither the advantage of the first leg (2-3) nor the inferiority of the Spartak Subotica gave him a quiet afternoon in the brand new Sports City of Alcalá de Henares. The spectacular 6-1 of last Saturday against Barcelona in the League has left him touched. The Serbs went ahead at the beginning of the second part, only five minutes after a penalty failed, and placed the red and whites in an agonizing situation.
The plan of the Balkans was mental. What they sought and found was a psychic battle of wear and resistance, making the game long and agonizing. They took the duel as far as they wanted and the locals could only disrupt it by decanting, because quality, this time, was imposed. But it was not until the 83rd minute. A play by Ludmila topped by Strom, both revulsive from the bench after the goal against, placated the silent insurrection of Spartak (1-1 and 4-3 in the total for the Spanish).

After the tunda of the weekend at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, Atlético changed almost half of the team and sheltered with three centrals. There would be "rotations for tactical issues and not to point anyone out," coach José Luis Sánchez Vera warned in the previous one. The modifications, however, did not illuminate a groundbreaking team, much less. Absolute hoarder of possession, something that was already foreseen, it took a world to translate that sometimes. For the combinatorial game they did not arrive. Yes from long distance. In the first part, the shots from outside the area of Amanda Sampedro, Olga García double and Charlyn Corral hurried to goalkeeper Kostic. The first two sent the ball to the stick and with the shot of the Mexican had to stretch back to send the ball to corner. That was the best of a first pasty act.

The disadvantage in the overall of the tie did not alter the plans of the Serbian team, which stood firm back waiting for a scare up. The only scares that took the premises until the break were the mess that was made with the ball in the feet of his goalkeeper, the Dutch Van Veenendaal. Alternate in the domestic tournament and start only in the two European meetings, each ball that had to play below named as best fighter in the FIFA gala The Best of last Monday became an ay.

After the break the stage turned. The tense calm turned into nerves. Seven minutes after the resumption, an inconsequential action ended in penalty for Spartak Subotica. A ball cleared by the defense hit Olga García's arm while it turned around. The locals protested, but there was no VAR to reverse the decision. The Slovic defense threw him loose and Van Veenendaal, erratic with his feet, closed his goal with his hands. The action, of course, did not relieve Atlético or frustrate the Serbs. In 56, Adamek struck the blow by finishing alone on the second post.

Sánchez Vera's reaction was immediate: three changes in five minutes. Ludmila, Strom and Virginia Torrecilla entered. The rojiblancas continued to attack, with more speed and also with one more point of anxiety. Spartak did not change his plan. His battle was to wear, to weave a drama to catch his rival in an isolated action. Slovic amended his mistake by saving a header from Duggan under the sticks, but the Balkans failed with the action between Ludmila and Strom. Atletico will be next Monday, September 30, next to Barça, in the eighth hype, round that has never surpassed. Dominator the last years in Spain, it does not finish taking the air to Europe. Nor when it passes phase.