
Manchester United confirmed their spot in the quarterfinals with another resounding victory against an Atletico side that showed no signs of being able to overturn the 3-0 deficit they carried from Madrid.
Herrera's players say goodbye to Europe without reaching the quarterfinals, but after getting through a complicated group stage. Now the challenge for the rojiblancas is to return to the Champions League next season, and for now, they have no easy task.
The coach fielded his theoretical first-choice lineup. Without Lloris, Xenia has become the third center-back, and up front, Amaiur and Jensen remain the chosen ones. The match started lively, with two very direct teams looking to open the scoring as soon as possible.
The first chance was for Jensen after a good play with Amaiur, but the Norwegian's shot was saved by Tullis-Joyce. Then Lauren Leal tried with a good header that went wide by very little.
Lola Gallardo responded quickly. The goalkeeper saved a good shot from Schuller on a transition. But she could do nothing when, before the half-hour mark, Zigiotti finished off a good play by Naalsund and sent the ball into the back of the net. A cold shower for the rojiblancas, who saw the chance to reach the quarterfinals slip away.
Atletico reacted through Fiamma. The player from Alicante came close to equalizing after a great individual play, but the goalkeeper appeared to prevent it. The final blow came before halftime from Park.
The English midfielder received the ball at the edge of the area, no one came out to block her, and she didn't hesitate: she sent the ball into the top corner of Lola Gallardo's net. A reality check that Atletico tried to react to, with courage and heart, but they couldn't match United.
In the second half, Atletico came out determined to at least leave with a draw. Bartel had a good header, then Schuller could have finished it off on another transition. The game was open, but, as the minutes passed, both teams considered the tie over; one side wasn't going to miss out on the ticket, and the other wasn't going to mount a comeback.
Atletico wanted their goal, to take some joy, but there was no way. And on the counter, United caused damage. Lola had to make another great save against Schuller, then Park hit the post.
Herrera opted for two academy players to give them rest, brought on Luany so she could make her case, and she had more than one foray forward. The Red Devils also did, finding it easy to get behind the defense and generating a lot of danger. There was even more bad news, as Xenia grabbed Wangerheim and ended up seeing a second yellow card, leaving her team with 10. Atletico says goodbye to Europe...
Player Ratings:
P. Tullis-Joyce: 7.8
D. Janssen: 7.8
M. Turner: 7.8
M. L. Tissier: 7.8
H. Lundkvist: 6.9
H. Miyazawa: 7.0
J. Z. Olme: 7.6
M. Malard: 7.2
L. Naalsund: 7.5
J. Park: 7.8
L. Schuller: 5.9
The ratings were generated by Sofascore's statistical engine.
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