Atletico Madrid humiliates Bilbao in Europa Final!!
May 10th 2012 05:25
A brilliant double from Radamel Falcao and a bustling performance from the rest of Atletico Madrid undid Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final.
The Colombian, who scored the only goal in last year's final for Porto, swerved home a superb effort before a smart turn and shot doubled the lead.
Bilbao pressed forward after the break with Markel Susaeta twice going close.
But Madrid looked just as dangerous on the counter and Diego darted through a ragged Bilbao defence to seal victory.
Bilbao's passing patterns mesmorised Manchester United in the last 16 of the competition, but it was they who were made to look dazed in the final by Madrid's high tempo and slick raids forward.
The Basque side's supply lines were cut by the snapping tackles of Gabi and Mario Suarez in the first half and, before they had time to adjust, the excellent Falcao had taken the game almost out of sight.
On seven minutes Fernando Amorebieta was transfixed by the striker's stepover and could only watch as he stroked a sublime left-footed shot into the top corner.
The final had been billed by some as a battle between Falcao and opposite number Fernando Llorente, with metro stations in Bucharest temporarily renamed after the two strikers.
But Llorente was outshone throughout and squandered half-chances to level, heading wide when well placed before shanking a volley wide off his shin.
By contrast, Falcao's brilliance was matched with ruthless efficiency and he ensured Amorebieta paid the heaviest price for needlessly conceding possession on the edge of the box 11 minutes from the break.
Once Diego had whisked the ball back into the centre the 26-year-old controlled, sent a trio of Bilbao defenders skidding out of contention with a deft turn and hammered a finish past Gorka Iraizoz.
Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa introduced Inigo Perez and Ibai Gomez at half-time to try and breathe life into his flatlining side and was initially rewarded.
Iker Muniain's low cross was only just cut out by Madrid's defence, before Javi Martinez headed over from the subsequent corner.
But just when Bilbao needed their talismanic striker to deliver, Llorente's out-of-sorts match continued as he failed to snap on to a loose ball in the six-yard box.
Bielsa's side piled forward as the clock ticked down, but they were restricted to snatched efforts and optimistic long-range attempts by an attentive Madrid rearguard.
Susaeta's deflected shot briefly theatened the Madrid goal before slamming into the advertising hoardings and the commanding Thibaut Courtois, on loan from Chelsea, blocked from the midfielder shortly after.
Madrid still looked the more incisive coming forward, though, and Falcao was within a post's width of his 36th goal of the season before Amorebieta was exposed once more as Diego dribbled past him to slot home a third.
Bilbao finally found a way past Courtois late on when Gomez crisp effort beat the keeper, but they were denied any scant consolation by the crossbar.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone: "Winning is always marvellous, but you enjoy it more as a player, because one is on the pitch, one can scream, run, do a lap of honour."
"When you are a coach you leave that sort of thing to the players
Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa: "I feel tremendously disappointed. I'm responsible for how my team played and we did not accomplish our goal.
"There was a stark difference between the teams. We played how Atletico wanted us to, allowing them to play their way in the process."
Another report claimed the following points:
Marcelo Bielsa paced, he squatted, he sat down, he shouted, he looked on pensively, but whatever he did his Athletic side rarely threatened to make an impression on an Atlético Madrid team coached by one of his former players, Diego Simeone. Whatever Athletic have brought to the Europa League this season – which is a lot – however much the neutral might have wanted another of their displays of relentless attacking, tonight they were well-beaten.
Two first-half goals from the Colombian forward Radamel Falcao won the game, allowing Atlético to spend the final hour or so sitting deep, coiled always for a breakaway. Just as important was the job done by Gabi and Mario Suárez, sitting deep in midfield and protecting the back four, preventing Athletic from ever achieving the fluency of which they are capable.
In the last 20 minutes Athletic began to generate the sort of pressure of which they are capable, but by then it was far too late: the game had begun to slip away from them as early as the seventh minute.
Falcao, who scored the only goal in last season's Europa League final as Porto beat Braga, received the ball halfway between the six- and 18-yard boxes. Fernando Amorebieta seemed to have checked him, but a stepover created a fraction of room that became significant as the defender slipped, giving Falcao just enough space to curl a superb finish into the top corner. He follows Frédi Kanouté, who achieved the feat in 2006 and 2007 for Sevilla, in scoring in consecutive Uefa Cup/Europa League finals.
Athletic have been showing signs of fatigue domestically and they never quite seemed to reach the same pitch of intensity that had so unsettled Manchester United and Schalke 04 in earlier rounds. For a quarter of an hour they were distinctly second best, almost as though they were inhibited playing opponents four places above them in the league. Gradually, though, they began to find their rhythm and – predictably – it was their two young wingers who looked like offering a way back into the game. First Markel Susaeta played a cross into Fernando Llorent but the striker mis-hit his volley just wide of the near post, then Iker Muniain, buzzing in from the left, forced Thibaut Courtois into an uncomfortable sprawling save low to his left with a 20-yard drive.
But this is not an Athletic that ever looks comfortable at the back – a criticism that has often dogged Marcelo Bielsa's sides. Every break seemed dangerous and Falcao clearly had the beating of Amorebieta. Others, being forced to stretch a foot behind them to control Arda Turan's 34th-minute cross, might simply have lashed a shot on the turn; Falcao, though, twisted back on to his left foot, leaving Amorebieta in a heap, and thumped in an inevitable finish – his 12th goal in 15 European matches this season.
The first match in the magnificent new national stadium was a Euro 2012 qualifier between Romania and France that soon descended into farce as the pitch cut up and players struggled to maintain their footing. Amorebieta at times seemed to be paying homage to that game, but nobody else seemed to have a problem; it was just that Falcao was far better than him.
Although the crowd was predominantly red-and-white, there was also a Romanian flavour, which these days in football terms tends to mean there is at least an undercurrent of discontent. There were chants against the domestic league's president Dumitru Dragomir and also a half-hearted two-man pitch invasion by Universitatea Craiova fans protesting at the expulsion of their club from the league.
On another night perhaps Athletic would have forced something late on. Shots were blocked, crosses flew across the face of goal and Courtois made an excellent block to thwart Susaeta. Athletic's vulnerability was always there, though, and Diego, given space to run, accelerated by Amorebieta to add a third. A few moments earlier only the post denied Falcao his hat-trick. Two years after their first European trophy, Atlético were well worth their second.
took the Europa League title home from Bucharest with a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night.
Radamel Falcao's brace got things started on the right foot for Madrid. His two goals came on what were very nearly his only two touches of the opening period.
Bilbao chased the game in the second half as Diego Simeone's team was content to sit back and defend their lead. But despite being gifted the ball, the Basque side were unable to produce any significant danger of a comeback.
Atletico midfielder Diego finished the night's scoring late in the second half to make it two out of the last three for his club in Europe's second-tier championship.
After they tore through Manchester United twice, those unfamiliar with La Liga could be forgiven for assuming that Athletic Bilbao regularly demonstrate the same form domestically that they brought to bear on the Red Devils.
But after watching Wednesday's final, you would be much less surprised to find out they sit a modest ninth in the table having scored the same number of goals as they've conceded this season and lost as many as they've won.
The fact is, Bilbao are a very talented but very young team, and they play like a young team. World beaters one week, not so much the next.
They looked a lot like the finished product in dismissing Sir Alex Ferguson from the competition, but the truth is a much more mixed bag.
Atletico Madrid forward Radamel Falcao is quite simply too good for this competition. He led the tournament in scoring last year with Porto and again this year with Atletico.
It's not enough for you to know that he scored two goals tonight. What's important for you to know is that on each occasion, he was so deft of touch and sure of foot that he left a defender falling to the ground as he finished his chance.
Falcao might not just be too good for the Europa League; he might simply be too good for Atletico Madrid. He belongs in the Champions League. If his current club cannot give him that chance, it's only a matter of time before another club will.
No one knew quite what to expect when Diego Simeone took over the reins at Atletico midway through this season.
The team had won just five times in La Liga, and everyone figured at least it couldn't get worse.
Low expectations to say the least.
But since Simeone began stalking the sidelines at Christmas, the team has lost just five times in any competition. They've shot up the standings in La Liga and have a chance to grab the final Champions League place.
Now Simeone has his first trophy. Is it too early to wonder if he might be Atletico's Pep Guardiola? Probably.
It wouldn't be unfair to criticize Bilbao's defense on all three goals.
Falcao's first was a moment of genius, but the Bilbao defense stood off and gave him the room to get his curler off.
His second came as a result of madness at the back for Marcelo Bielsa's team.
And Diego waltzed virtually unmolested through the center of the green shirts for the third.
For all their slick passing and smooth interchange in possession, Bilbao must drastically improve on the other half of their game.
When you stand almost 6'4", it's hard to go missing on a football pitch.
But Fernando Llorente managed it for the vast majority of Wednesday's match.
The big striker was presented with a couple of nice chances in the first half but turned down the opportunity to make a game of things.
After those early frustrations, Llorente was hardly involved and could have been withdrawn at any point during the second half without anyone batting an eye.
It wasn't Barcelona vs. Chelsea, but Athletic Bilbao had plenty of the ball Wednesday night. They enjoyed 60-percent possession over more than 90 minutes.
But they made precious little use of it.
Bilbao passed around in their midfield a bit, switched the ball through their defense a bit and generally kept the ball far, far away from any position where it might be practical to score from.
Meanwhile, when Atletico Madrid touched the ball they immediately cut at the heart of the Bilbao defense.
That got Atletico the Europa League trophy. We saw what all that possession got Bilbao.
Breaking News:
Blackburn Rovers' deputy CEO Paul Hunt sacked after leak
According to a leaked letter seen by the Sporting Intelligence website, Hunt told the club's owners in December that it was time for 44-year-old Kean to leave Ewood Park.
However, Sporting Intelligence editor Nick Harris told the BBC the leak did not come from Hunt.
Rovers are yet to comment but Kean says he is at the club "for the long term".
Kean also told a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that he still has control of the dressing room, and that owners Venky's are "100%" right for the club.
He refused to comment on Hunt.
In the leaked letter, Hunt expressed the view that Kean's tenure "isn't working" and "is ready to go".
His departure comes days after the club were relegated from the Premier League following a 1-0 home defeat by Wigan.
Harris said Hunt was not responsible for his website obtaining the letter.
"Normally journalists don't reveal their sources but on this occasion I would like to say, unequivocally, that I didn't receive that letter from Paul Hunt," he said.
"If they sack him for leaking that letter to me, they have got the wrong man."
Kean's reign has been a troubled one, with many Blackburn fans unhappy with the way he has managed the team.
The Scot took over as manager in December 2010 following the sacking of Sam Allardyce.
Venky's, Rovers' Indian owners, have also come in for heavy criticism for their running of the Lancashire club.
Hunt's letter indicates he had serious concerns about the Premier League side's direction before Christmas.
"He [Kean] has lost the crowd and as a result of this evening's game [2-1 loss to Bolton on 20 December] has lost the dressing room as well - the players no longer want to play for him," wrote Hunt.
"It is a shame and disappointing but we must act now to save the club. The board should be asked their opinion on who should be the new manager."
Hunt insisted he had the best interests of the club at heart and also detailed worries about finances.
"I have been your senior officer at the club for six months now and I feel that I must now write to you to ask you to make some significant changes to save the club, perhaps from relegation but also perhaps from administration," said Hunt.
"We are losing fans/customers at an alarming rate. I am very concerned that fans are voting with their feet and not attending, not purchasing and not engaging with the club."
Blackburn play their final league game of the season against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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