Atletico Madrid took a significant step towards securing Champions League qualification for next season after defeating fellow top four hopefuls Girona 3-1 at the Civitas Metropolitano. Head coach Diego Simeone used the match to hold “auditions” for his defence ahead of Tuesday’s second leg against Borussia Dortmund, with first-choice left wing-back Samuel Lino unavailable due to suspension.
Atleti started in a 4-4-2 system, but as per MD, Reinildo Mandava massively struggled at left-back in the opening exchanges, which saw the 5-3-2 reverted back to. The Mozambique international had a very poor first half, and was fortunate not to concede a penalty just before the interval, at which point he was hauled off.
Read on football-espana.net