Sporting CP 1-0 Atlético Madrid (1-2 aggregate): Europa League Player Ratings

Jan Oblak (8.5): Jan is a god, without whom Atlético Madrid would be nothing and this season would be filled with woe. Made brilliant saves and was without doubt the best player on the pitch.

Juanfran (6.5): Nothing spectacular. There is no longer the threat of Juanfran bombing down the wing as there used to be. He was decent in completing his tackles, but was in a lot of trouble up against Sporting Clube de Portugal’s athletic wingers.

Stefan Savić (6): Atlético’s struggle to defend set-pieces throughout this season came to haunt them once again as Fredy Montero headed home from a corner, beating Savić to the ball. It seems strange that such a physically strong defender like Savić continues to struggle with this, but here we are.

Diego Godín (7): Solid enough from the legend, but the back line was a mess in this match with rotations and injuries taking out a lot of bite from a once-fearsome defense. It’s not all Godín’s fault, but his excellence has papered over a lot of cracks throughout his time at the club, and as he gets older, he’s less and less able to do that consistently.

Lucas Hernández (7): Probably the best performer in a turgid first half, as the Frenchman completed all of his tackles and was effective at left back. Unfortunately, he was brought off at halftime and replaced by Šime Vrsaljko, a necessity given how thin Atleti’s squad is currently.

Koke (7): Koke struggled to hit his usual high passing percentage in the first half but really took control in the second half. His ability to control the ball created fewer problems for the backline.

Saúl (6.5): Did alright, but was not able to function to the best of his abilities as Diego Simeone’s men tried to protect the aggregate lead.

Gabi (6.5): Gabi showed his age and was at least a step behind throughout the first half. Improved after half time, but Thomas would have been much more effective in this match.

Vitolo (8): Vitolo carried on his strong run of form with perhaps the best performance in the side on the night. His passing was excellent, and was not afraid to get stuck into a challenge, as usual. For some reason, he was brought off for Correa in what was Simeone’s final change.

Antoine Griezmann (5.5): Neither attacker got on particularly well in this match, as Costa and Griezmann were starved for service given how the rest of the team was playing. He did not manage to get many shots off, but again that was as a result of the service. The best chance fell for Antoine when he got 1v1 with Rui Patricio but squandered the opportunity, then did it again minutes later.

Diego Costa (6): After a very quiet first half, Costa injured himself in chasing a long ball and had to be brought off for Fernando Torres. It has not been a good few weeks for Diego, who has struggled with injuries and form after a good start.

Subs

Šime Vrsaljko (7): It was a tricky spot for Vrsaljko to come on: as a makeshift left back after Lucas left. After some time out of the team, Šime looked like he was back to his old self, and did well in an uncomfortable role.

Fernando Torres (6): In the week of his announced departure, Torres made a significant appearance against Sporting due to Costa’s injury. He managed a couple chances, most notably a header, but lacked touch and couldn’t move well in adverse conditions.

Àngel Correa (6): Came on for Vitolo and did fairly well to create some good chances, and was at least active on the wing.