Atlético Madrid 0-2 Villarreal CF: Player Ratings

Oblak Made a stupendous save on Giovani Lo Celso around 20 minutes in, then caught a break after Gerard Moreno smacked the woodwork from a set piece before bundling the ball over the line with his arm. Couldn’t do anything about the goals conceded, both placed well beyond his reach. 6.5

Savić Spent much of the opening half covering for the wayward Nahuel Molina on the right. Typical battling performance prior to his departure, passed with high accuracy and finished with one clearance and one block. 7

Witsel His crucial tackle on Yeremy Pino just before the first-half cooling break kept the game goalless. The Belgian led all Rojiblancos with 73 passes attempted and completed 69 of them in another composed performance at center-back. 7

Reinildo Villarreal knew better than to test the rugged Reinildo in the first half, and he even got forward on a couple occasions to overlap with Yannick Carrasco. He won four headers and made a wonderful tackle to stop Gerard from doubling the lead in second-half stoppage time (though Gerard eventually did so anyway, in the 96th minute). 7.5

Molina Has a lot of work to do to adapt to the demands placed on an Atlético Madrid wing-back.

Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Molina’s connection with Marcos Llorente is not strong yet, and he has a tendency to lose focus defensively. Unai Emery understood this, and he directed his players to target him in the first 45. The pressure paid off when Molina mishit a clearance to Yeremy in the 73rd minute, handing him the opening goal on a platter.

The Argentina international completed his disastrous home debut by picking up a nonsensical red card for shoving Álex Baena. He is suspended for next week’s trip to Valencia, and the only way to go from here is up. —

Llorente Only 12 first-half touches, and we didn’t see many of the darting runs that can change the complexion of Atlético’s attack. Showed a high defensive work rate, but a quiet night overall. 4.5

Koke Plugged gaps as can be expected throughout the first half, on the ball in attacking positions in the second half but could not make the desired impact. 4

Lemar Atlético improved offensively once the Frenchman was able to get on the ball. He was asked to do too much defensive work throughout his hour on the pitch, but he passed tidily (86 percent accuracy) and created two chances. 5.5

Carrasco Not enough touches around the penalty area in the game’s early stages, but he was a clear threat once his teammates found him with more regularity — even in a tough matchup with right-back Juan Foyth. His goal-bound header less than 15 minutes from time was just about clawed off the line and might actually have gone over. 6

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João Félix Frustrating first half, launched two shots from outside the box into orbit. Did not get much better for him after halftime. 4.5

Morata Busy and committed, put himself about and struck a couple low headers for Geronimo Rulli to save. Diego Simeone will probably be pleased with this performance, even though it ended without a goal. 6

De Paul Replaced Llorente in the 62nd minute. Worked hard and charged around in the final third, but couldn’t pick Villarreal’s defensive lock. 5.5

Griezmann Replaced Lemar in the 62nd minute. Drew applause a few minutes after entering for a solo effort that whizzed wide. Dropped into midfield and floated around the final third with not much else to show for it. 5

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Cunha Replaced João Félix in the 70th minute. Only eight touches but managed to smack a shot off the post shortly following his entry — Carrasco headed the rebound toward goal and it might have gone just over the line. 5

Correa Replaced Morata in the 70th minute. Was needed much earlier. Moved silkily through tight spaces in the penalty area and created two chances in just 20 minutes. The minutes distribution still doesn’t look very fair to him, though we’re only two weeks into the season. 5.5

Giménez Replaced Savić in the 74th minute. Made his season debut, completed all 10 of his passes and saw a yellow card for arguing with referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. 5