Atletico Madrid walked away 1-0 winners over Tottenham Hotspur in their first clash of the International Champions Cup in Melbourne.
Diego Godin’s close range effort just before half time was enough to seal the win for Diego Simeone’s side, who hung on gallantly despite Tottenham’s dominance.
Here are our bottom three performers from the clash:
Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid) – Not the best performance from the ex-Sassuolo man on debut. Struggled to work his way into the match on the right hand side as he was not able to prove to be much of an outlet for his team’s attack. Perhaps nerves on debut from Vrsaljko, playing amongst a new set of teammates for the first time his delivery into the area was pretty average. Seemed a touch behind the speed of play. A player the Champions League finalists will be hoping develops into a fine right back this coming season.
Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid) – Quiet game from the young Spaniard who did not enjoy much freedom in midfield. His most notable contribution being a free-kick that fizzed over the bar late into the game. Needed to do more for his side who struggled to maintain possession throughout majority of the match. Did manage to keep the ball better as the game went on however remained one of the matches worst performers. Will be looking to add more sharpness into his game against the Melbourne Victory in Geelong next week.
Nacer Chadli (Tottenham Hotspur) – Only featured for a half hour tonight but Nacer Chadli was again, unimpressive in Melbourne. Looked extremely disinterested and failed to pose any sort of threat to the Atletico backline. A player who will need to do much, much more if he’s to take his game to new heights. Floated around in both matches across the ICC and barely registered a look on goal.
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