Atletico Madrid (Spain) defeated European champions Manchester City (England).
Atletico Madrid scored back-to-back goals from Memphis Depay and Yannick Carrasco to defeat City 2-1 in a preseason friendly in the second leg of the Coupang Play Series at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday.
Man City is one of Europe’s most dominant teams, having won the English Premier League (EPL), the English Football Association (FA) Cup, and the UEFA Champions League last season.
Atletico Madrid is no slouch either, having won 11 Spanish La Liga titles and 10 Copa del Rey titles.
This matchup will serve as a practice test for both teams to get in shape and improve their performance before the season starts.
The 64,000 fans in the stadium reacted to every play as the two world-class clubs faced off. 64,185 were in attendance.
Both teams feature world-class players such as Elling Holland, Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), and Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid).
Holland, in particular, is a top-notch striker who joined City last season and led the league in scoring with 36 goals. He broke Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s record for most goals in a single season in the 42-game EPL (34).
He was also the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 12 goals. In total, he scored 52 goals in official matches.
The game kicked off at 8:40 p.m., 40 minutes later than the scheduled 8 p.m. kickoff, due to a surprise downpour about an hour and a half before kickoff.
City manager Pep Guardiola started with Holland, Julian Alvarez and Jack Grealish up front, with Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Rodrigo filling out the back three.
Kyle Walker, Jubeng Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and John Stones formed the defense, with Ederson in goal. Der Bruyne did not play as he continues to recover from injury.
Atletico head coach Diego Simeone turned to Griezmann, Toma Lemar, and Alvaro Morata in attack.
Rodrigo DePaul, Koke, and Axel Witsel provided support in midfield, while Samuel Linnu, Mario Hermoso, Charlie Sopolet, and Cesar Aspilicueta formed the back line. Jan Oblak was in goal.
The two teams battled with such sincerity that it was reminiscent of a real league or tournament, as if they were rewarding their fans for their support. The game was physical and nerve-wracking, and both teams utilized their main players early in the second half.
After Griezmann opened the scoring with a shot on goal, the two teams set the tone with quality passing and development. 메이저놀이터
Holland brought the fans to their feet in the seventh minute when she connected on her first shot of the game despite a strong defense.
Griezmann continued to impress, spearheading the attack with high-tempo passes. In particular, his dribble of about 50 meters at the end of the first half heated up the stadium.
Despite the intense back-and-forth, the first half ended 0-0.
Normally, in a preseason friendly, the lineup changes between the first 45 minutes and the second 45 minutes.
However, both teams kept their starters in the second half.