(Football news) Atletico Madrid defeated 2nd division side Levante 2-0 in the Copa Del Rey Round of 16. Diego Simeone, as expected, selected a pretty strong starting XI. Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata started up front while Angel Correa was benched despite scoring last weekend. Rodrigo de started the game which was his first involvement since the World Cup. Captain Koke was left on bench while teenager Pablo Barrios played as the left midfielder.

The first chance of the game came in the 25th minute as Levante looked to have taken the lead after a fumble by Oblak. The goal was ruled out as Mohamed Bouldini was adjudged to have fouled the Atletico shot stopper. Levante had another massive chance to break the deadlock but the shot from Pablo Martinez was just wide. The first half was pretty cagey and Atlético Madrid in particular didn’t create much. Simeone responded by making an attacking change as he brought on Correa and Barrios. It worked as Marcos Llorente assisted Alvaro Morata for the first goal of the match. Llorente himself got a goal towards the end to put the game to bed.

The 2-0 win was extremely crucial for Atlético Madrid who desperately need to turn around the season. Memphis Depay is about to join the club which will be a massive boost for their squad. Their next match is against Real Valladolid at the Wanda Metropolitano where they will be without Sergio Reguilon and Stefan Savic who are suspended. Simeone is prioritizing the Copa Del Rey by playing a strong team but he will be hoping that it doesn’t affect Atletico Madrid La Liga because they are currently joint 4th and could easily slip to 6th with a loss or a draw.

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