Atletico Madrid vs. Malaga: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Atletico Madrid secured an important bounce-back victory on Saturday, fighting past high-flying Malaga 3-1 on a sunny afternoon at the Vicente Calderon.
Needing to conjure a strong response after the shock 2-1 defeat to lowly Real Sociedad prior to the international break, Diego Simeone's men found just that as they recaptured a degree of the form that propelled Los Colchoneros to last season's title.
Opening the scoring was Tiago, who, returning from an injury layoff, found a way past Carlos Kameni with a strong header from Koke's corner.
Although the hosts hadn't created a plethora of chances, they doubled their lead just prior to halftime, when a well-worked move saw Antoine Griezmann tap home Arda Turan's fine ball across the penalty area.
After the break, Malaga quickly found some life when Roque Santa Cruz's brilliant finish capped off a brilliant sequence from the visitors, but a second yellow card for Samuel not long after put a stop to the momentum.
In the dying stages, Diego Godin capitalised on a scrap in the penalty area to nod home Atletico's third, securing three valuable points for the home side.
Across the following slides, we examine the winners and losers from Saturday's clash.
Winner: Koke
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On nearly every occasion Atletico Madrid have a set piece, they look like scoring. They're a group who have turned it into an art form.
But so much of Los Colchoneros' dominance from dead-ball situations is attributed by onlookers to their physicality and superiority in the air, which fails to acknowledge just how fine Koke's delivery is at such plays.
Indeed, few players in Europe send balls into the box with such a vicious blend of pace, dip and accuracy—qualities that ensure Atletico's men in the box regularly receive some of the best service on the continent.
On Saturday, Koke was at it again, finding the head of Tiago for the hosts' opener to take his season tally of assists to 12 in all competitions, per WhoScored.com.
Given that it's only November, it's frightening to think what figure the Spaniard might end up with by season's end.
Loser: Carlos Kameni
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Had Carlos Kameni done better when Tiago headed in Atletico Madrid's opener on Saturday, Malaga would have found themselves with considerably less to do when developing a second-half spark.
For a small period, the visitors looked capable of snatching something from this game, but ultimately they couldn't overhaul the deficit established by Diego Simeone's men prior to the break.
For that, Kameni will be kicking himself, given that he was in a great position to save Tiago's goal but only managed to palm the ball into the net despite the header being directed straight at him.
Later on, the goalkeeper made another significant error when misjudging a high ball that should have seen Atletico score when Antoine Griezmann gained possession, which rounded out a forgettable day for the 30-year-old.
Winner: Tiago
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It had been more than a month since Tiago last pulled on an Atletico Madrid shirt; he had been sidelined after suffering a muscle injury during his team's 2-0 win over Espanyol in mid-October.
On Saturday, the Portuguese made a fine return to the team, scoring his side's opener with a strong header and delivering the assist for Diego Godin's late goal that secured the three points for the hosts.
But, as is Tiago's way, his performance was about much more than mere fleeting moments.
He is pillar of stability at the base of Diego Simeone's midfield; the veteran's work rate, tenacity and eye for danger were pivotal in Atletico's building of a lead, particularly in the first half when Malaga's midfield couldn't find a way past Tiago at any stage to conjure a chance.
Loser: Malaga's Set-Piece Organisation
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One of the more daunting thoughts in football is the idea that you don't know where a threat is coming from. Uncertainty creates both confusion and apprehension, which is why the commodity of variety in attack is stressed so heavily.
Interestingly, despite their stature, Atletico Madrid don't tend to pose that problem. Instead, the whereabouts of Atletico's threat is blatantly obvious; it's simply a matter of whether you can stop it.
Thus, if there's one thing a visiting side must have worked out when arriving at the Vicente Calderon, it's their defensive organisation at set pieces.
Malaga clearly hadn't, allowing Koke the chance to find the completely unmarked Tiago at the near post to head home the opener.
Against a side that can exploit the tiniest openings in such situations, gifting a chance in that manner is unforgivable.
Winner: Raul Jimenez
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It's not easy being a developing striker at Atletico Madrid—not with the history the club has in being home to outstanding goalscorers.
Most recently, Atletico's roll call of strikers has included Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa. The pressure of extending that fine lineage must be severe.
Raul Jimenez's start to life in the Spanish capital, therefore, has been difficult; the Mexican has struggled to find any form in his limited playing time and will take considerable time to adapt to Simeone's demanding ways.
But perhaps buoyed by his goals for Mexico during the international break, Jimenez put in a strong showing when brought on as a second-half substitute for Mario Mandzukic. He forced saves from Carlos Kameni on a number of occasions and provided an athletic presence in attack for the hosts.
