Atletico Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on Tuesday thanks in part to an excellent performance by Saul Niguez.
Having suffered the worst defeat of Diego Simeone’s career against Borussia Dortmund in their last Champions League match, Atletico needed a result in the reverse fixture on Tuesday if they were going to finish top of Group A. Thanks in large part to Saul Niguez, who scored the opener and started the move that led to their second goal, they got just that.
It’s all but guaranteed now that Atleti and Dortmund will qualify, but this was a much-needed dominant performance in what has been an otherwise underwhelming start to the season.
It says a lot that Saul was the most important player, and will remain so should Atletico go far in this competition, a sign of how much his reputation has grown since he burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in 2012.
Spanish soccer expert Guillem Balague believes Saul is key to Spain’s growth in international competition and many think he can be the man who leads Spain into a new era. Spain manager Luis Enrique clearly agrees, citing Saul’s versatility in attack and defense as key to the national team’s future.
Saul showed both sides of his game on Tuesday, not only scoring the opener but providing the solidity in midfield necessary for his side to play their usual counter-attacking game. With Dortmund forced to chase the game, Atleti were able to exploit the space left in behind, and ultimately killed the game thanks to Antoine Griezmann’s finish late in the second half.
It was Saul, however, who won the ball for his side at the edge of his own penalty box and released it forward immediately, which set Atletico off on the counter.
The result will have come as a big relief to Simeone, who has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. After arguably their biggest ever summer transfer window, signing the likes of Thomas Lemar and Gelson Martins, while also holding onto Griezmann, Atletico were thought to be among the favorites in La Liga title and the Champions League.
But their start to the season has been underwhelming. After 11 games, Atletico lie fourth in the Liga table, behind Barcelona, Espanyol and Alaves, and were thrashed in Dortmund two weeks ago, a loss which only raised further questions about Simeone’s tactics, deemed by many to be too defensive.
This win has the chance to kickstart their season. And for all the money spent this summer, the key player might be one of their own.