“Atletico Madrid snag 17th consecutive victory at home agaisnst Real Betis”

Atletico Madrid gave a strong showing for their first quarterfinal match of the Copa del Rey. An early goal from Radamel Falcao, combined with Felipe Louis’ goal shortly after, led Los Rojiblancos to a win. This match is also notable because it marks a new record in the Vicente Calderón. The current squad has gone 9 matches without letting in a goal, the longest run in the history of Atletico Madrid!

Valenica give Atletico Madrid their first defeat of the season

Valencia 2:0 Atletico Madrid

(20’ Soldado), (95’ Valdéz)

 

After 23 three consecutive wins, Atletico Madrid suffered a frustrating defeat in Valencia this weekend. Though they put forth a strong effort, they couldn’t seem to convert their attempts to goals. The match was most certainly a dramatic affair, no one seemed happy with the decisions the referee was making. Valencia’s manager, Pellegrino, and defender Ricardo Costa, were both thrown from the match. Radamel Falcao should have had two penalties, but all he got was a bloody forehead.

The much debated future of Radamel Falcao

Colombian international, Radamel Falcao, has started off this season with a bang. He is a goal scoring machine. He has scored 11 goals in 7 appearances for Atletico Madrid, and he has scored 4 goals in 3 appearances for Colombia in the World Cup Qualifiers.

This has led to a lot of speculation about the upcoming January transfer window. Chelsea, Manchester City, and Real Madrid have all been reported to have high interest in purchasing the Colombian striker. What started as rumors in the summer, largely fueled by comments from Falcao’s father, are now starting to seem as they could become a reality.

Atletico Madrid's win against Malaga leaves them tied for 1st with Barcelona

Atletico Madrid 2:1 Malaga

While everyone was busy watching El Clásico, Atletico Madrid closed in even further on La Liga leaders, Barcelona. Their win against Malaga gives them 19 points, the same number as Barcelona. Los Rojiblancos are also ahead of city rivals, Real Madrid by 8 points. Malaga was a tough team to beat and was a vital win for Atleti with respects to the league standings.

Radamel Falcao proved to Malaga that tAtleti wasn't quite ready to give up their winning streak just yet. El Tigre scored an excellent goal in the 6^th minute to give the home side an early lead. Turkish international, Emre Belozoglu, sent a great cross into the center, and Falcao dove to head the ball into the net off the bounce. Fans around the world were once again in awe of the Colombian's stunning ability to score goals on a consistent basis. With each game he proves himself more of a contender in the race for the Pichichi title.

“Atlético Madrid hangs on for a win against Valladolid”

Atlético Madrid 2:1 Valladolid

(31’ Godin), (45’ Falcao P); (55’ Bueno)    

Atletico Madrid’s win at the Vicente Calderón was their 5^th consecutive victory. The Europa League winners have had a fantastic start to their season. They are undefeated, they easily won their first Europa League game last week, and Radamel Falcao has already scored 8 goals.

Last night, they further proved their strong start to the season with a victory over Valladolid. However, a fumble from Belgian keeper, Thibaut Courtois, put Valladolid back in the game in the second half, though they couldn’t equalize.

Chelsea humiliated while Atlético de Madrid brings home Supercup silverware

Atlético de Madrid 4:1 Chelsea

(7' Falcao), (19' Falcao), (45' Falcao), (60' Miranda); (74' Cahill)

Atlético de Madrid have added yet another crushing win to their record, and this one comes with a trophy. Last Friday, the Europa League winners destroyed the Champions League winners in the UEFA Supercup. Star striker, Radamel Falcao, scored his second hat trick in just four days, proving his exceptional ability to find the back of the net. Chelsea was utterly humiliated as their defense failed over and over again to ward off Falcao and his teammates.

“Radamel Falcao: Athletic Bilbao’s greatest demise”

Atletico de Madrid 4:0 Athletic Bilbao

(20’ Falcao), (42’ Falcao), (59’ (penalty) Falcao), (84’ Tiago)

Athletic Bilbao has had a rough start to the season, especially with the pending sales of Fernando Llorente and Javi Martínez.  Last night, Atlético de Madrid did not make things any easier for Athletic.  Yesterday was the first time these two rivals met after Atleti's victory in the Europa League final, where Falcao scored two goals.  Atelti went on to further embarrass them, scoring a total of four goals, with a hat-trick from Falcao.  It was certainly a tremendous match for Los Rojiblancos, Simeone's men left little room for error.

Atleti started off the first half very strong.  They had solid possession and kept the ball in Bilbao's half of the field.  They had a free kick early on in which they almost scored.  Bilbao seemed a bit sluggish and their defense was struggling.  It was only a matter of time before Falcao scored.  In the 20^th minute he dribbled up the left side of the box, cut inside beating out an Athletic defender, and sent a low shot to the back right corner of the net.  This was El Tigre's first goal of the season, and he did his classic victory slide after scoring.

"Atlético de Madrid: Pre-season overview"

It's almost here, the moment we have all been waiting for....the return of La Liga.  After a summer of withdrawal, well there was the Euro Cup to get us through, the wonderful world of football returns this weekend and Atlético de Madrid is certainly ready.  After a summer of vacationing, touring and training in South America, and training in Spain, the players are ready to return to the Vicente Calderón.

During the summer transfer window, Atleti has made a few changes to their lineup.  A few cherished players have left, but Atleti has picked up some great new ones for the 2012-2013 season.  Atleti lost starting defender Álvaro Domínguez to the German club, Borussia Mönchengladbach.  Also, Eduardo Salvio was sold to Portuguese club, S.L. Benfica, earlier this month.

“A disheartening draw for Atleti: Real Betis steals away their Champions League dreams”

Real Betis 2:2 Atlético Madrid

(63' Koke), (94' Falcao); (86' Pozuelo), (88' Pereira)

In a game of missed opportunities, Atlético de Madrid couldn't pull off a win that was vital to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. The crucial three points they needed were reduced to one point putting them six points behind 4^th place Malaga. It certainly was a game of should have, could have's for Los Rojiblancos. They had several opportunities throughout the entire match that easily could have been goals.

As it always seems to go with Atléti, the first half was less exciting with no goals scored. However, Atléti had plenty of opportunities. Both Adrian and Falcao were very close to scoring a goal, though both of them seemed to be taking too many touches and wasting too much time. Falcao seemed a bit off his game. El Tigre is famous for his ability to get his foot on the ball at just the right time, though in this game, he seemed to always be two seconds behind.

The second half began and Atléti continued to put pressure on the Betis defenseman. In the 63^rd minute they finally managed to break through when Koke scored his first goal. Tiago took a free kick which Falcao then headed right to Koke's feet. The midfielder shot the ball which hit the crossbar before hitting the back of the net.

“Hola Bucarest: Atlético Madrid defeats Valencia to advance to the Europa League Finals”

Valencia 0:1 Atlético Madrid

(60’ Adrian)

Ay Dios Mio! This has been quite a dramatic week in the football world.  There was Torres’ shocking goal to put Chelsea through to the Champion’s league, and the shootout between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. This game did not fail to disappoint, further adding to the drama with a bit of a spat in the second half.  Atleti came into the game ahead two goals on aggregate, and they managed to hold Valencia off and score a goal for themselves.

The first half, however, was a struggle for Atléti. Valenica was hungry for a goal and they continually put pressure on Atléti.  Jordi Alba and Canales were making Atléti sweat as they fired shot after shot in attempts to even the score. The saving grace for Atléti: Thibaut Courtois. Things could have gone downhill fast for Los Colchoneros without him. He continually shut down Valencia making some absolutely amazing diving saves.  Atléti had a few decent shots on net, but the first half was much more defensive than offensive.  However, their defense played strong and they ended the half 0-0.

“Destination Bucharest: Falcao leads Atlético Madrid to victory in the first round of the Europa semifinals”

Atlético Madrid 4:2 Valencia

(18’ Falcao) (49’ Miranda) (54’ Adrian) (78’ Falcao); (45’ Jonas) (94’ Costa)

Well, Atlético Madrid certainly showed up to the Vicente Calderon ready to tear up their home turf. The stadium was alive with energy and full of devoted fans chanting and cheering for Los Colchoneros. Atleti has always been known to have a strong fan support and they certainly showed their appreciation for this as they darted up and down the field with swagger.

Atleti played a very solid first half. They put the pressure on Valenica’s defense from the beginning and kept significant possession of the ball. In the 18^th minute Turkish Arda Turan successfully trapped a long ball and managed to get his foot around Valencia’s defender to deliver a cross to the center. The ball bounced and Radamel Falcao was there to head it into the left corner of the net to give Atleti an early lead.

“Atlético Madrid striker, Radamel Falcao, denies rumors to sign to Chelsea or Manchester City”

Colombian futbolista, Radamel Falcao, has had quite the successful career since his arrival in Europe. He first played for Porto FC and then moved to his current team, Atlético Madrid, and has since scored 26 goals in 37 games, according to ESPNsoccernet.

Though Falcao claims to be content playing for Atleti, there are rumors floating around that both Chelsea and Manchester City are very interested in Falcao. According to crunchsports.com, Chelsea has reportedly sent scouts to watch Falcao at numerous Atlético Madrid games. Furthermore, Manchester City is rumored to offer him £42 million.

El Derbi Madrileño: Los Blancos Still Own Madrid

 

After a disappointing weekend result, Real Madrid faced city rivals Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón this Wednesday.  The last these two teams met was November, with los Blancos winning 4-1 over Atléti.  Eerily enough, the result this time around was no different with Portuguese international, Cristiano Ronaldo, solidifying his team's victory with a hattrick, while Spanish born-and-bred, José Callejón, earned our fourth and final of the evening.

Atlético had a very great start this evening, putting los Blancos under very heavy pressure, the intensity of their play nearly paying off in the early moments of the match.  Radamel Falcao did well to break through Real's defense, but Iker Casillas tipped the ball round the post, saving the shot.  Nevertheless, the Whites seemed shaken at just how close their rivals got to opening the score sheet.  With time, the men calmed down and got back into the old swing of things, using the spaces Atléti left open, looking for opportunities for goal.  Los Rojiblancos conceded a freekick at the 24' minute mark for a foul committed on Karim Benzema.  Cristiano took the shot and successfully converted it, with an unstoppable strike to the bottom right corner.  Real Madrid entered descanso 1-nil over their rivals.

“Atlético Madrid's second win against Hannover sends them to Europa League Semifinals”

 

Atlético Madrid 2:1 Hannover 96 
Adrian ('62) Falcao (86'),  Diouf (80')

Atlético Madrid came into the second round of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals at an advantage after winning their first match against Hannover, 2:1. They played a strong match and though faltering slightly in the middle of the second half, they finished strong with a win. Their aggregate score, 4:2, lead them to advance on to the Europa League semifinals.

The first half wasn't the most interesting to watch with zero goals scored. Hannover had more shots on net, but they couldn't seem to find the back of the net. Atlético had a good attempt when Adrian headed a crossball from Diego towards the right corner of the net but narrowly missed.  

“Atlético Madrid snags important victory against rival, Athletic Bilbao”

There were many happy fans in the Vicente Calderón Stadium, proud home to Atlético Madrid, last Wednesday after a well-deserved win against Athletic Bilbao. After a relatively uneventful first half, Atleti was able to find the space to push through Bilbao's defense and put two goals in the net for the win. Their footwork proved much more effective during the second half, challenging the opposing defenders.

This was a highly anticipated match given Athletic Bilbao's recent victory against Manchester United, knocking the English team out of the UEFA Europa Championships. Atleti also recently defeated Besiktas to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa Championships. Furthermore, Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have been long standing rivals, giving Atleti additional merit to their win.

Atletico vs. Sevilla, Good Football With No Result

marca.com

Sevilla and Atletico faced each other at Pizjuan for a much anticipated game. They ended up tying, and both teams went home with an insignificant result that does not help them move forward on the table. They are now still tied up at 8 victories, 9 ties, and 9 losses (8-9-9) -- with 33points each.

Good start up in the first couple minutes for both teams, but Sevilla with more possession of the ball. Atletico tight on the defense trying to contain the home team and trying to attack,but was not able to until minute 8. Gabi Fernandez, gave the perfect cross from the  leftside to the center of the area. It was Adrian making a diagonal run pulling a defender away from the Atletico forward Salvio.  With that, Salvio had more space and time to finish and score  with a world class header to his lower right corner. A nice anticipation to the ball from the Argentinean, that got in front of the defender when the ball was crossed.

Atletico to Face Sevilla in Decisive Match

The Atletico / Sevilla game tomorrow will be one of great expectations.  This match gives the clubs a chance to differentiate themselves from one another since they are neck and neck with eight victories, with eight ties, nine losses (8-8-9)—leaving them with 32 points each.  Another indication that these teams are balanced is that both Atletico and Sevilla have a different driver on the wheel.   Sevilla has their new coach Michel, and Atletico has Simeone.  These new coaches have given a new face to these teams, and a decisive game is in front of them.