Atletico Madrid fight back from 2-0 down to beat Valencia in injury time
Manchester United weren’t the only side to leave it late to claim three points, as their Champions League last-16 opponents Atletico Madrid also won in injury time.
Just hours after Marcus Rashford had claimed a last-gasp winner against West Ham at Old Trafford, Diego Simeone’s men went one better at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
The Argentine’s defence was once again cut to ribbons, in the first half, by Valencia after Yunus Musah smashed the ball past Jan Oblak to give his side the lead, after right-back Sime Vrsaljko gave him too much space.
On the stroke of half-time, Pepe Bordalas’ side doubled their lead against the reigning La Liga champions when Hugo Duro slotted past Oblak.
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However, Los Colchoneros’ inspired fightback started in the 63rd minute when Matheus Cunha tapped home a corner that alluded everyone.
In the 90th minute, Angel Correa tapped the ball home after Valencia goalkeeper Jaume spilled a Yannick Carrasco cross straight into his path.
Only two minutes later, and defender Mario Hermoso was on hand to tap home Cunha’s scuffed cross much to Simeone’s delight.
The comeback win kept Atletico in fourth place in La Liga.
Speaking after his side’s victory against Valencia, Simeone told AS: “A first half in which it is not us, they threw two shots at us and it was two goals. We didn’t manage to play the game we wanted.
“We come to rest (half-time) and in despair, anxiety, sadness… (we said) if you had to lose, you had to lose with pride, with courage… if we scored a goal people would take us to what happened (comeback win).
“Any other club, its people, in the second half, after the first one we did, would have been criticized and harmed (booed) twice. It saw a second half from Atletico.”
With United’s first-leg clash against Simeone’s men exactly a month away, could last night’s comeback win prove the springboard in their topsy-turvy season.
Unlike throughout El Cholo’s tenure, Atletico have been surprisingly open and vulnerable at the back throughout the campaign, which will give Cristiano Ronaldo and co cause for optimism.
But if Atletico Madrid can build on last night’s win, starting with a positive at the result at the Nou Camp in two weeks time, Simeone’s men could be a completely different proposition when Manchester United come to town.
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