Atletico thrash Sparta in UCL

They have nine points from five games


AFP November 28, 2024

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PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC:

Julian Alvarez and second-half substitute Angel Correa scored twice as Atletico Madrid cruised to an easy 6-0 win at struggling Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The win leaves Diego Simeone's Rojiblancos on nine points from five games in the competition, while Sparta have four.

"Each win makes you happy, especially when the team plays like this throughout the game and scores like today," Atletico coach Simeone told reporters in the Czech capital.

"We really did well today," he added, hailing his team for playing "with high intensity and speed".

Alvarez opened the scoring 15 minutes into the game as he was brought down just outside the box and then curled a free-kick into the top corner of Peter Vindahl's goal.

Marcos Llorente made it 2-0 two minutes from half-time as he chipped the ball towards the goal and Vindahl let it in, visibly fooled by striker Alexander Sorloth's attempt at a glancing header.

Alvarez fired in his second from close range on 59 minutes after a give-and-go with Giuliano Simeone, the coach's son.

Second-half substitute Antoine Griezmann made it 4-0 on 70 minutes with a low shot inside the box following a one-two with Llorente.

Correa rounded off the score with two goals in the final five minutes, first poking in a pass from fellow substitute Samuel Lino and then finishing neatly after a mazy run through the static Sparta defence.

"The team understood what I want from them from the beginning to the end including the substitutes who played really well as soon as they entered the pitch," said Diego Simeone.

"All goals count. We tried to score as many as possible because it helps with this new format of the Champions League.

"We are always aware the game has 90 minutes and we have to play as best we can," he added.

The 54-year-old Argentinian made six changes following Atletico's 2-1 win over Alaves in La Liga on Saturday, his 700th game across all competitions in charge of the team.

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