Atletico Baleares 2-3 Atletico Madrid: Griezmann brace secures shaky Copa victory
Antoine Griezmann netted twice as Atletico Madrid overcame a challenging match against fourth-division Atletico Baleares in the Copa del Rey’s last 32, clinching a 3-2 victory. The home side fought valiantly at Estadio Balear but could not recover from a 3-1 disadvantage against an Atletico squad boasting numerous star players.
Following an injury to Clement Lenglet and an early test for Juan Musso by Juanmi Duran, Atleti took the lead in the 16th minute with Griezmann finishing easily thanks to an assist from Conor Gallagher.
The visitors extended their advantage by two goals when Giacomo Raspadori directed Nahuel Molina’s cross into the net just four minutes later, but Diego Simeone’s team then became careless and allowed their lead to be reduced when Gerardo Bonet scored on the rebound after a set-piece chaos.
Baleares squandered two exceptional opportunities to equalize early in the second half, with Musso stopping Duran and Jaume Tovar in one-on-one situations, before Griezmann seemingly sealed the match with a close-range goal in the 72nd minute.
However, the hosts refused to concede defeat, even after Musso saved Tovar’s penalty in the 80th minute— a penalty he had given away himself with a misplaced punch that caught his opponent’s head.
In the 90th minute, another penalty was awarded to the hosts, which Mouhamadou Keita converted after being tripped by Nico Gonzalez, but they could not finish the comeback in the dying moments.
Data Debrief: Atleti fortunate as Musso kept on his toes
Atletico can consider themselves extremely fortunate to reach the round of 16, having lost the expected goals (xG) contest by a margin of 3.57 to 1.35.
Although two late penalties added significantly to Baleares’ tally, Simeone will likely be unhappy after witnessing Musso make seven saves against lower-division opponents.
Since the previous season, the only two teams to force more saves from an Atletico goalkeeper are Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in November 2024 and Real Madrid in LaLiga in February 2025 (both with eight by Jan Oblak).
Published: 2025-12-17 20:42:00
source: www.soccernews.com
