Atletico Madrid vs. Celta Vigo: Winners and Losers from Copa Del Rey
Atletico Madrid were dumped out of the Copa Del Rey by a determined Celta Vigo on Wednesday night, with the plucky visitors registering a 3-2 victory to progress to the semi-finals by the same scoreline on aggregate.
Celta have reached the last four for the first time in 15 years, and they took the lead in the tie when Argentinean midfielder Pablo Hernandez fired them in front midway through the first half, only for Antoine Griezmann to quickly level matters.
John Guidetti fired home a brilliant effort from distance to restore Celta’s lead, which was then added to by Hernandez’s second of the night.
Angel Correa pulled back a late consolation for Diego Simeone’s men, but Atletico crashed out to ensure that they now have only the Liga title and the Champions League left to play for this season.
Here are the winners and losers from the evening.
Winner: John Guidetti
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Aged just 23, the Swedish forward Guidetti has had a strange career, bouncing around from club to club after failing to make the grade at Manchester City.
Best known for a prolific loan spell at Feyenoord and a decent one at Celtic, he’s found opportunities somewhat limited since his summer move to Celta Vigo, but his stunning effort from distance here has been by the far the most memorable moment of his spell in Spain.
Whether it will be enough to dislodge the likes of Iago Aspas and Nolito from the team when the league fixtures come around remain to be seen, but it was certainly a reminder of his quality.
Losers: Atletico Madrid’s Defence
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As is the norm for cup matches, Miguel Angel Moya replaced Jan Oblak in the Atletico Madrid goal, but the remainder of the defence was pretty much what you’d expect to see in La Liga.
Juanfran, Jose Gimenez, Diego Godin and Filipe Luis all took their places in a back four, but they were unable to deal with a roving front three of Guidetti, Aspas and Fabian Orellana.
Given that their next assignment sees them come up against Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar at the Camp Nou, Simeone may be considering some changes.
Winners: Barcelona
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And speaking of Barcelona, they might feel that the path is now clear to a second successive Copa Del Rey triumph following Atletico’s elimination, which follows on from Real Madrid being thrown out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player.
Barca—who secured a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday thanks to goals from Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique and Neymar to progress to 5-2 on aggregate—won’t be too scared of the competition that remains in the tournament, which now reads Celta and the winners of Mirandes vs. Sevilla and Las Palmas vs. Valencia.
Another treble, anyone?
Loser: Jackson Martinez
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Atletico were chasing goals to get themselves back into the match when Guidetti fired in his stunner in the 56th minute, yet Simeone opted to bring on Correa and Oliver Torres in the moments that followed, leaving big summer signing Jackson Martinez on the bench.
The Colombian’s time in Madrid is quickly turning into a wretched one, with just three goals all season and the likes of Correa and Luciano Vietto rising above him in the pecking order.
Griezmann remains the main man at the club, too, with another goal here showcasing just how far ahead of his team-mate he remains.
Winner: Augusto Fernandez
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Another who didn’t get off the bench tonight—and indeed one who had to suffer the indignity of seeing his old team knock his new one out of the Copa Del Rey—but Augusto Fernandez must have seen that Atletico Madrid’s midfield looked in need of freshening up. And he can help with that.
The experienced January recruit could come into contention for the Barcelona clash at the weekend as Gabi, Saul, Koke and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco all looked a little weary here, with Fernandez’s defensive acumen doubtless needed at the Camp Nou.
Loser: Diego Simeone
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No one will be feeling the defeat more than Simeone, though, with the Atletico boss priding himself on the compactness and hard work ethic of his team.
To find themselves 3-1 down and chasing the game is almost unheard of under his tutelage, and he’ll be demanding a huge reaction when his team go back into battle at the weekend.
Barcelona, be warned.
