Champions League
Nov 4, 2014 7.45pm
0
2
HT : 0 1
FT
  • Simon Kroon 81' yellowcard
  • Markus Halsti 82' yellowcard
  • Magnus Eriksson 90' yellowcard
  • yellowcard Gabi 9'
  • goal Koke 30'
  • yellowcard Miranda 50'
  • yellowcard Diego Godin 51'
  • yellowcard Juanfran 53'
  • goal Raul Garcia 78'

Player Ratings: Malmo 0-2 Atletico Madrid

Malmo 0-2 Atletico Madrid

Goals from Koke and Raul Garcia helped Atletico Madrid beat Malmo 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Koke registered after 30 minutes, before Garcia struck 12 minutes from time to wrap up the points for the visitors.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at how each individual player performed in the Group A clash.


MALMO

Goal

Robin Olsen: Could do nothing with either goal, but did make some smart saves, especially in the latter stages. Calm and confident performance from the stopper. (6/10)

Defence

Anton Timmerholm: Had a very good night. Unlucky not to score in the second period with a brilliant volley and proved a constant threat in the final third. (8/10)

Filip Helander: Was aerially dominant against the powerful Mario Mandzukic, but struggled slightly on the deck when he was confronted with pace. (7/10)

Ricardinho: Decent enough in possession of the ball, but was also guilty of being caught out of position, especially for the away side's second goal. (6/10)

Erik Johansson: Can be pleased with his showing in the first period, but his night ended in disappointment when he was stretched off just past the hour mark. (6/10)

Midfield

Emil Forsberg: Had a golden chance in the first period after collecting a pass from Markus Rosenberg, but his touch was too heavy. Very bright in wide areas. (7/10)

Markus Halsti: Started the match in central midfield, but dropped to centre-back when Johansson went off injured. Decent enough without being spectacular. (6/10)

Enoch Kofi Adu: Did his best to get around the park and made some crunching challenges in the first period. That said, did not see too much of the ball. (6/10)

Magnus Eriksson: Caused Atletico problems with his pace and movement in wide positions, but his final ball just needed to be a little bit better. (7/10)

Attack

Markus Rosenberg: Good night for the skipper. Set up Forsberg with a brilliant piece of play in the first period, before rattling the post in the second. Was a constant threat. (7/10)

Isaac Kiese Thelin: Proved a real handful in the air and came close with a couple of headers in the first period. Caused problems, but faded a little in the second period. (7/10)

Substitutes

Simon Kroon: Replaced Johansson after 64 minutes, but struggled to make his mark in the final third. Did not receive too much service. (6/10)

Simon Thern: Did not enter until the 87th minute and therefore had little time to make an impact. (6/10)


ATLETICO

Goal

Miguel Moya: Was forced into making some smart saves early in the second period and remained strong under aerial bombardment from the home team. (7/10)

Defence

Juanfran: Man-of-the-match performance from the right-back. Set up both of his side's goals and proved a constant threat down the right side of the pitch. (9/10)

Diego Godin: Another towering performance from the centre-back, who cleared one off the line in the second period in addition to making a number of important blocks. (8/10)

Miranda: Proved a tower of strength at the heart of the back four. Strong in the air and confident on the ball. Another solid display from the Brazilian. (7/10)

Guilherme Siqueira: Was overshadowed by Juanfran on the opposite side, but had a solid night overall without making too much of an impression. (6/10)

Midfield

Mario Suarez: Was tasked with providing his side with a defensive shield, but struggled to contain the Malmo attacks in the early stages of the second period. (6/10)

Gabi: Was booked for a rash challenge on Forsberg after nine minutes and did not look the same player thereafter. The game almost passed him by. (6/10)

Koke: Continued his excellent run of form with his Atletico's first. Was involved in the majority of his side's attacking threat throughout the match. (8/10)

Attack

Raul Garcia: Popped up in a number of different positions throughout the 90 minutes and capped his performance with a goal 12 minutes from time. (7/10)

Mario Mandzukic: Struggled to win the physical battle with Malmo's strong back four. Not the best night for the Croatian, who was subbed after 69 minutes. (6/10)

Arda Turan: Classy in possession of the ball, but did not see too much of it this evening. Could not really influence the match in an attacking sense. (6/10)

Substitutes

Antoine Griezmann: Offered a different threat to Mandzukic in attack, with Malmo immediately dropping deeper in order to contain the pace of the Frenchman. (6/10)

Cristian Rodriguez: Thought he had scored his first goal of the season in stoppage time, but was in an offside position when his header found the top corner. (6/10)


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