After a bruising week in Europe, Atletico Madrid found the perfect way to respond. Diego Simeone's men, who were torn apart in their 4-0 Champions League loss to Arsenal as reported by Softfootball , showed real character in Seville on Monday night, beating Real Betis 2-0 at the Estadio La Cartuja. As reported by Softfootball in the pre-game report , the victory came at just the right time for the visitors, who needed a lift after a tough week.
It took Atletico barely three minutes to strike. Giuliano Simeone, son of the coach, smashed in a well-taken volley after Betis failed to deal with a long throw from David Hancko. It was a proper Simeone-style goal, scrappy, quick, and full of hunger. Betis, for all their possession and intent, couldn't find a way through. They ended the night with more shots and the ball for longer spells, but Atleti's defence, led superbly by Jose Maria Gimenez and Robin Le Normand, never looked like cracking.
Just before halftime, alex Baena put the game to bed with a classy finish. Julian alvarez burst forward on the counter and slipped the ball wide, and Baena did the rest by cutting inside and curling a beauty into the far corner. That goal summed up what Atleti were about on the night: calm, clinical, and patient. It's no wonder Simeone recently hailed alvarez's work rate and loyalty to the club, as Softfootball earlier reported .